Dr Garrick Hileman, head of research at Blockchain, co-founder of Mosaic, research associate at the London School of Economics. Garrick is best known for his research on monetary and distributed systems innovation, particularly cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Garrick was ranked as one of the 100 most influential economists in the UK & Ireland. He is regularly invited to share his research and perspective with public sector institutions, including the CIA, US Army and Naval War Colleges, Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and the Financial Stability Board, as well as media, including the BBC, CNBC, FT, WSJ, and NPR. Garrick is frequently sought as a speaker. Notable cryptocurrency and blockchain research publications include the "2017 Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study" (University of Cambridge) and the "2017 Global Blockchain Benchmarking Study" (University of Cambridge). He also created and published the CoinDesk "State of Bitcoin" and "State of Blockchain" reports from 2013-2016. Garrick's other research interests include sovereign debt, financial crises, financial repression and prudential regulation, black markets, and systemic risk. He completed his PhD in economic history at the London School of Economics under the supervision of professors Albrecht Ritschl and Niall Ferguson. Garrick's teaching includes developing the UK's first university taught class on blockchain technology at the University of Cambridge, and teaching on numerous executive education programs and other classes for Cambridge, Oxford, Columbia, Northwestern, and the London School of Economics. Garrick has worked for 15+ years in the private sector with both start-ups like Blockchain and Mosaic and established companies such as Bank of America, The Home Depot, IDG, and Allianz. Garrick’s technology experience includes co-founding a San Francisco-based new venture incubator and IT strategy consulting for multinationals. Garrick has served on the boards of directors of both publicly traded and private companies, and he has worked or consulted in a wide range of industries, including banking, technology, online media, specialty finance, insurance, business services, retail, non-profit, education, and government. Garrick’s volunteer work includes serving as a Big City Mountaineers guide for at-risk urban teens on backcountry excursions in the Sierra Nevada. He also was a founding member of the record-setting PolarVision expedition, which raised funds and awareness for sight-related charities.