About Ritual
Ritual is building a sovereign, execution layer for AI, with our private testnet already live and running. The Ritual chain is the first blockchain custom-built to support AI-native operations, designed from the ground up to enable a new class of applications at the intersection of crypto and AI. Our first product, Infernet, is pioneering new ground as the first solution to enable developers to access AI models both on-chain via smart contracts and off-chain, demonstrating our commitment to bridging these transformative technologies.
About the role
- Prototype rapidly, iterate and execute quickly based on technical guidance
- Work at the frontier of modern cryptographic schemes and open-source AI
- Release your work into the open-source world and build alongside the Ritual community
Candidate Profile & Mindset
- Intellectually curious around intersections of interdisciplinary fields ranging from game theory to cryptography to machine learning
- Quick iteration and development cycles on writing and/or proof-of-concept
Extras
- Experience in cryptography, machine learning software projects, ideally in open-source land
Perks & Compensation
- Join a passionate group of engineers, researchers, and operators on a mission to build the next generation of AI infrastructure hardened by cryptographic schemes
- We work completely in open-source and ship weekly
- Maximize your knowledge gradient around fields that typically would not intersect We're open to exceptional people of all backgrounds for research (e.g. high school, undergraduate and postgraduate degree).
About Ritual
Ritual, founded in 2023 by Niraj Pant and Akilesh Potti in New York, builds a decentralized AI execution layer that lets smart contracts and apps call models on-chain. Its flagship network, Ritual Chain and Infernet, connects nodes that run inference with cryptographic verifiability, enabling AI-native DeFi, gaming and autonomous agents without centralized APIs. Backed by leading investors including Archetype and Accel, Ritual collaborates with researchers and model providers to expand open AI infrastructure for Web3. Headquartered in New York with a distributed research team across the US and Europe, the company operates at the intersection of cryptography, machine learning and distributed systems. Expect a research-driven culture that values intellectual depth, principled design and shipping usable infrastructure for AI-enabled crypto products.