Zekun Li
Research Scientist at Google DeepMind
Goleta, California, United States
Summary
🤩
Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolZekun Li is a research scientist and PhD candidate in computer science at UC Santa Barbara with eight years of engineering and research experience across top AI and systems labs. Based in Goleta, he has held internships and research roles at Google DeepMind, Meta, Microsoft, and Google, and now works on post-training tool use for Gemini at DeepMind. His background bridges cutting-edge AI research and robust backend systems: he is an active contributor to major blockchain projects like Diem and Aptos, improving consensus, validator management, and state synchronization. Zekun combines rigorous academic training with hands-on systems engineering, demonstrating a knack for refactoring core data structures to boost reliability and performance—an atypical mix that helps translate research ideas into production-grade infrastructure.
8 years of coding experience
Master's degree, Computer Science, Master's degree, Computer Science at University of Chinese Academy of SciencesDoctor of Philosophy - PhD, Computer Science, Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Computer Science at UC Santa BarbaraBachelor's degree, Computer Science and Technology, Bachelor's degree, Computer Science and Technology at 山东大学
Github Skills (10)
algorithm10
data-structures10
state-management10
consensus10
distributed-systems10
rust10
data-structure10
blockchain10
cryptography9
network-protocol9
Programming languages (6)
Github contributions (5)
aptos-labs/aptos-core
Apr 2022 - Dec 2022
Aptos is a layer 1 blockchain built to support the widespread use of blockchain through better technology and user experience.
Role in this project:
Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:2723 reviews, 132 commits, 523 PRs in 8 months
Contributions summary:Zekun's contributions primarily involve implementing and enhancing backend functionalities for the Aptos blockchain project. Their commits add new commands and features for configuring and managing validator nodes, specifically allowing for adding and removing validators. Furthermore, they are involved in improving the core consensus mechanism, addressing issues, and optimizing performance within the blockchain's network layer. Their work focuses on core functionalities and operations to maintain system stability and performance.
blockchain-platformblockchainuser-experienceblockchain-networksmart-contracts
diem/diem
Jun 2019 - Oct 2020
Diem’s mission is to build a trusted and innovative financial network that empowers people and businesses around the world.
Role in this project:Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:712 reviews, 235 commits, 303 PRs in 1 year 4 months
Contributions summary:Zekun contributed to the consensus layer of the Diem blockchain, focusing on improving data structures and state management. Their work included removing unnecessary code and refactoring core data structures like `Block` and `ValidatorSet`. The user also implemented a system for handling epoch changes, improving the efficiency of state synchronization and contributing to the system's overall robustness and reliability.
diemfinancialtrustedethereumblockchain
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