Herding Cats - why Academics and Crypto folk are so alike

The Irish Tech News Podcast

Nick Almond, Finance.Vote

Herding cats is how Nick Almond describes managing academics and suggests that achieving consensus and governance in a university space is akin to running a decentralized organisation. As a result when he met blockchain and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) he was all in.

Almond’s arrival into blockchain was nevertheless a windy path. He studied physics for ten years – from undergraduate right the way through to his PhD. He became particularly interested in the intersection of physical systems on the biological – part of condensed matter science – and discovered that the most fascinating things happen at surfaces.

Despite being heavily involved in this work, which involved examining DNA through spectroscopy (using light to illustrate molecules). Almond came to realise the life of a scientist was not for him.

“Being an experimental physicist requires an incredible level of methodological rigor. As I reached the end of my PhD, I began teaching to supplement my income and discovered I loved teaching people, helping to find the next scientist. I loved the concept of teaching.”

Perhaps another intersection but it led Almond to becoming a mathematics lecturer in the Astrophysics Research Institute at John Moore university – back to his first principles – and to number theory. From there it was a small jump into cryptography.

To find out more, tune into the podcast.

Your host is Jillian Godsil, award winning journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book can be found at https://persons-of-interest.io/