Justin and Thomas lead the core team—Ethereum Foundation officially launches the post-quantum cryptography team

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) officially launched a new team last month to transform years of research in post-quantum cryptography into practical engineering projects. This move marks the beginning of the next-generation challenges in blockchain security entering a concrete development phase. According to reports by PANews based on Coindesk information, this project is positioned as a key strategic issue for the Ethereum network.

Justin recommends, Thomas leads the new organizational structure

Justin Drake, who has led the foundational research team, revealed details about the personnel structure of this newly established post-quantum team. The team will be led by Thomas Colatogher, with cryptographer Emil from leanVM providing technical support. Justin Drake himself will continue to provide strategic guidance, forming a layered organizational structure involving multiple researchers.

From foundational research to practical engineering

The reason the Ethereum Foundation decided to reorganize is that they judged theoretical research alone is insufficient to address the future threats posed by quantum computers. Justin Drake explained that Ethereum is making a full-scale shift from background theoretical research to active engineering practice.

Specific development plans and implementation roadmap

The practical initiatives undertaken by the new team include several key items. First, a regular bi-weekly developer meeting on post-quantum transactions has been scheduled. This will facilitate knowledge sharing among multiple client implementation teams. Second, work is underway to build a multi-client compatible post-quantum consensus test network. Through this test network, interoperability between different client implementations can be verified.

The urgent need to counter quantum threats

Efforts toward post-quantum cryptography are not merely technical optimizations but a fundamental challenge to ensure the long-term security of the Ethereum network. Since quantum computers could potentially break current cryptographic algorithms once they become practical, it is necessary to develop and verify robust alternative technologies now. Through collaboration between the research team led by Justin Drake and the core engineering team led by Thomas Colatogher, the realization of quantum resistance across the Ethereum ecosystem is becoming increasingly feasible.