PhD Proposal Investigating Privacy-Preserving Scalability in the Kaia Blockchain Supervisor: Dr. Aydin Abadi, Newcastle University, UK Applicant: Chanderprakash Sharma
1. Introduction & Motivation
I previous work with kaia team on ancient data technique for kaia network .Blockchains offer decentralization and immutability, but struggle to simultaneously achieve high throughput, low latency, and strong privacy guarantees. The Kaia network (formerly Klaytn) introduces an innovative approach to improve user experience by instant finality . However, native privacy on Kaia remains limited. This research will explore how Kaia’s architecture can be extended to support privacy-preserving Layer 1 protocols at scale, integrating cryptography techniques .
2. Research Objectives
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Analyze Kaia’s architecture to identify privacy and scaling opportunities.
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Design a privacy framework for Kaia that leverages inspiration from existing privacy solutions.
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Prototype and deploy the framework on Kaia’s testnet, measuring throughput, proof-generation latency, and storage overhead.
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Formally verify the privacy guarantees under a composable security model, and evaluate resilience against adaptive adversaries.
3. Significance & Impact
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Ecosystem: Provides Kaia chain user transaction privacy across bridge and native , smart contract transfer also .
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Academic: Advances the theory of hybrid on-chain/off-chain scaling with privacy, yielding publications in top-tier venues (e.g., IEEE S&P, USENIX Security).
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Open Source: Reference implementations and toolkits will be released under permissive licenses, fostering wider adoption.
4. Methodology & Timeline
Phase
Activities
Deliverables
Duration
Phase 1: Analysis & Design
• Detailed study of Kaia’s data layering• Security & privacy requirement gathering and proper depth literature review with privacy enhancing technology
• System design document• Threat model and literature review report
Months
1-8 month
Phase 2: Protocol Development
• Define framework scheme tailored to Kaia•
• Protocol specification• Initial theoretical framework
Months 8-20
Phase 3: Prototype & Deployment
• Implement prototype with if possible if kaia team allowed to hire
Further team mate required for implementing
• Deployed testnet demo• Benchmark scripts
Months 20-32
| undefined | -— |
Phase 5: Formal Verification
• Model protocols in a composable security framework• Use FDR or Tamarin for non-leakage proofs
• Formal security proofs• Conference paper draft
Months
32-38
Phase 6: Evaluation & Dissemination
• Comprehensive performance & privacy evaluation• Write thesis and journal articles
• Final PhD thesis• Two journal submissions
Months
38-48
5. Required Resources & Budget
Item
Unit Cost (GBP)
Quantity/Years
Subtotal (GBP)
Tuition Fees (International)
21,000 / year
4 years
84,000
Stipend (UKRI-equivalent)
19,237 / year
4 years
76,948
Computing & Software Licenses
500 / year
4 years
2,000
Cloud & Testnet Hosting
1,000 / year
3 years
3,000
Travel & Conferences
—
—
4,000
Miscellaneous Research Costs
500 / year
4 years
2,000
Total
171,948
Notes:
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Tuition fee reflects Newcastle University’s 2025–26 international rate.
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Stipend follows UKRI guidelines.
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Cloud/testing and software costs cover ZK prover infrastructure and storage.
6. Funding & Support Request
I am seeking £172 k of funding to fully cover tuition, living stipend, and research costs over a four-year PhD at Newcastle University. In exchange, I will:
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Provide quarterly technical reports and public code releases.
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Host demo workshops with the Kaia community and Ethereum Foundation.
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Co-brand all publications and presentations with funding acknowledgment.
7. Conclusion
This PhD will bridge theoretical privacy protocol design with real-world scaling on Kaia’s innovative blockchain architecture. The insights and open-source outputs will empower Kaia—and the broader Ethereum ecosystem—to deploy high-throughput, privacy-first Layer 1 applications.
Thank you for considering this proposal. I welcome any feedback and would be happy to refine this plan to align with specific funding guidelines.
Chanderprakash Sharma PhD Candidate (pending), Newcastle University Email: chanderprakashs760@gmail.com Proposal Link :PhD Proposal Kaia - Google Docs