Ph.D. in Information Systems and Computer Engineering
Research Engineer and Senior Software Engineer
Security & Privacy, Distributed Systems, Blockchain, Interoperability
🛠️ I'm a senior engineer at Blockdaemon, a researcher at INESC-ID, and a Fulbright awardee (MIT Connection Science & MIT Media Lab). I hold a Ph.D. from Técnico Lisboa ("Best INESC-ID Ph.D. student").
🎓 As an Invited Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico (2018–2021), I lectured four subjects across three years, focusing on Software Engineering and Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. My teaching contributed to the development of future engineers and researchers in distributed systems and AI. For details, see my academic page.
🔗 I'm a distributed systems generalist focused on blockchain. My work centers on blockchain interoperability, privacy, and security - figuring out how to make different blockchain systems talk securely without leaking sensitive information. I'm particularly interested in building resilient infrastructure for next-generation payment systems and digital asset management. A 20-minute video summarizing my PhD thesis is available here.
😈 At Blockdaemon, I develop secure blockchain interoperability solutions for DeFi applications. To know more about our exciting work, check my LinkedIn profile or CV.
🌎 I'm active in open-source ecosystems, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (SATP protocol) and serve as a maintainer of Hyperledger Cacti - the Linux Foundation's flagship enterprise blockchain interoperability project. I volunteer in the Hyperledger mentorship program, helping newcomers to blockchain.
📚 During my time as a researcher, I've contributed to the academic community in multiple ways. I've reviewed for leading conferences and journals like IEEE Transactions on Services Computing, ACM Transactions on Privacy and Security, and IEEE ICBC. I was co-chair of the cross-chain workshop at IEEE ICBC and co-chair of the DepWeb3 Workshop 2025. At MIT, I studied security and privacy of interoperability and wrote outreach materials advocating for the field's importance. I've mentored over 10 master students on blockchain topics.
🧑🎓 As an Invited Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, I lectured four subjects across three years (e.g., Software Engineering, Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems). My teaching contributed to the development of future engineers and researchers in distributed systems and AI. For details, see my academic page.
🎤 I'm passionate about sharing knowledge through talks and outreach. I've participated in panels like the Interoperability Panel at Joining Forces for Blockchain Standardisation (INATBA, 2024). I've delivered workshops like Blockchain Interoperability with Hyperledger Cacti and presented on Formalizing and Standardizing Blockchain Interoperability at Hyperledger Global Forum in Dublin. I have delivered guest lectures at universities worldwide.
Contact: rafael.belchior ((at)) tecnico ((dot)) ulisboa ((dot)) pt
Last update: September 2025