Lei Yang is a computer scientist and entrepreneur known for his work in distributed systems and blockchains. He is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of MegaLabs, a company developing MegaETH, a blockchain platform focused on real-time performance. ^{[1] [5]}

Overview

Lei Yang's background is rooted in computer science research, with a focus on the fundamental challenges of distributed systems, particularly consensus and synchronization. His academic career culminated in a Ph.D. from MIT CSAIL, where he was part of the Networks and Mobile Systems Group. His research has explored methods to improve the efficiency and robustness of distributed protocols, applying these concepts to the emerging field of blockchain technology.

This academic foundation informs his work at MegaLabs, where he is involved in building a blockchain designed for low-latency operations. His contributions include developing frameworks and codes aimed at enhancing network performance and data reconciliation in distributed ledgers. ^[5]

Career

Lei Yang completed his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Peking University in 2018 ^[1].

He then pursued graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning his Master of Science in 2020 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2024. At MIT, he was advised by Mohammad Alizadeh and was affiliated with the Networks and Mobile Systems (NMS) Group within CSAIL. His doctoral research focused on efficient consensus and synchronization mechanisms for distributed systems.

Following his academic work, he co-founded MegaLabs and serves as its CTO, leading the development of the MegaETH blockchain ^{[1] [2]}.

Research

Yang's research centers on computer network problems within the context of blockchain systems. His work addresses challenges related to achieving efficient consensus and synchronization in distributed environments. Key projects include:

• DispersedLedger: A framework designed for building Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) state machine replication protocols capable of operating effectively on networks with fluctuating conditions ^[1].
• Rateless IBLTs: A family of universal and near-optimal rateless codes developed for reconciling differences between sets of data ^[1].

His research has also investigated the security aspects of blockchain protocols^[1]. His work has received support from the Ethereum Foundation ^[1].

A recent publication, "Permissionless Verifiable Information Dispersal," co-authored with Zeyu Liu, Arthur Lazzaretti, and Ben Fisch, appeared in IEEE SP 2025 ^[1].

MegaETH

As co-founder and CTO of MegaLabs, Lei Yang is involved in the development of MegaETH, which is described as a "Real-Time Blockchain". The project aims to achieve very low transaction latency. Initial targets for block time (pre-confirmation latency) are stated as sub-10 milliseconds, with plans to reduce this to under 1 millisecond eventually. The end-to-end latency experienced by users is influenced by both the block time and network propagation delay. Technical features being implemented include RPC methods like realtime_sendRawTransaction, designed to support real-time decentralized application frontends. The project maintains a testnet where upgrades and features are deployed and tested ^[2].

Publications

Lei Yang has published research papers in the field of computer science, particularly focusing on distributed systems and networks. His publications are listed on his personal website and indexed on platforms like Google Scholar. ^{[3] [4]}

A recent publication titled "Permissionless Verifiable Information Dispersal" was accepted to IEEE SP 2025 ^[1].