Blockchain Security Expert Intern - AI Track

About the Company

Founded in 2018 by professors of Yale University and Columbia University, CertiK is a pioneer in blockchain security, utilizing best-in-class AI technology to secure and monitor blockchain protocols and smart contracts. CertiK’s mission is to secure the cyber world. Starting with blockchain, CertiK applies cutting-edge innovations from academia into enterprise, enabling mission-critical applications to be built with security and correctness. CertiK is one of the fastest growing and most trusted companies in blockchain security and has become a true market leader. Our clients include leading projects such as Aave, Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, Yearn, and Chiliz. Our investors include top VCs like Tiger Global, Coatue Management, Shunwei Capital and Hillhouse Capital as well as industry leaders like Coinbase Ventures and Binance.

About the Position

The primary focus of this role is to pioneer the development of an intelligent AI agent powered by large language models (LLMs) to enhance our security audit tools in the blockchain space. As a Blockchain Security Expert intern, you will work closely with our blockchain security team to bridge cutting-edge academic research with practical applications. Your efforts will be dedicated to designing, fine-tuning, and integrating LLM-driven AI agents that automatically analyze smart contracts and identify potential vulnerabilities. In this role, you'll be immersed in research and experimentation, exploring new methods to improve threat detection and risk assessment within our security audit platform, thereby directly contributing to more secure blockchain infrastructures.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with our blockchain security team to design and implement a large language model (LLM)-based AI agent for security audit tools.
• Experiment with novel AI techniques to enhance threat detection and risk assessment in blockchain environments.
• Assist in transforming cutting-edge research on AI agents into practical, scalable security auditing solutions.
• Continuously research emerging trends in LLMs, AI agent architectures, and cybersecurity, and proactively propose improvements.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related field, with a strong emphasis on machine learning, natural language processing, and/or cybersecurity.
• Deep understanding of LLM architectures (e.g., transformers) and hands-on experience in training or fine-tuning such models.
• Proficiency in Python and experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch or TensorFlow).
• Basic familiarity with blockchain technology and smart contract development is a plus.
• Excellent analytical skills, problem-solving capabilities, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, innovative startup environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

Bonus Points

• Prior research or project experience in developing AI agents or automated security analysis tools.
• Exposure to security audit methodologies and vulnerability assessment, particularly in blockchain or smart contract environments.
• Familiarity with blockchain programming languages (e.g., Solidity) and platforms (e.g., Ethereum).
• Publications or contributions to leading conferences/journals in AI, NLP, or cybersecurity.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research insights into effective, production-ready tools.