The Post-Quantum (PQ) Security Team is a specialized group established within the Ethereum Foundation in January 2026. The team's primary purpose is to research, develop, and shepherd the implementation of quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions to protect the Ethereum network from future security threats posed by quantum computers. Its formation represented a significant strategic shift for the foundation, elevating post-quantum security to a top priority and moving from a period of background research to an active, public engineering phase. ^{[1] [2]}​

Overview

The Post-Quantum (PQ) Security Team was created to address the long-term risk that large-scale quantum computers pose to the public-key cryptography, such as the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), that currently secures the Ethereum network and user accounts. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could theoretically break this encryption, allowing an attacker to derive a user's private key from their public key and steal their assets. The team’s formation in January 2026 marked what Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake called an "inflection point" where post-quantum security was officially declared a "top strategic priority" by the foundation's management. ^{[3] [4]}​

The initiative represents a transition from years of "quiet R&D" into an active "public engineering push". ^[5] The team is tasked with developing a comprehensive roadmap for a complete network upgrade in the coming years. The strategy is built around proactively implementing solutions well before the quantum threat becomes practical, recognizing that upgrading a large, decentralized network is a complex and lengthy process. The core of the technical strategy is a focus on hash-based cryptography, which is considered a strong and efficient foundation for post-quantum security. ^{[1] [3]}​

History and Motivation

The Ethereum Foundation's work on post-quantum security began as early as 2019, with the "Eth3.0 Quantum Security" presentation at the StarkWare Sessions. In 2024, post-quantum security became a central component of the leanEthereum concept, and the foundation hosted its first dedicated Post-Quantum workshop in Cambridge in 2025. ^{[2] [1]}​

The urgency to formalize this effort increased due to "accelerating timelines" in quantum computing development. In November 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warned that the network's elliptic curve cryptography could become vulnerable to quantum attacks as early as 2028. ^[2] He had previously estimated a 20% probability of quantum computers capable of breaking current cryptography emerging before 2030. ^[4] On January 12, 2026, Buterin listed quantum resistance as a "non-negotiable" component of his "walkaway test" for Ethereum's long-term sustainability, stating a desire for the protocol to be "cryptographically safe for a hundred years". ^[3]​

This culminated on January 23, 2026, when Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake officially announced the formation of the new team on the social media platform X. The news was widely reported the following day, solidifying the public commitment to a full post-quantum transition. Drake stated, "It’s now 2026, timelines are accelerating. Time to go full PQ." ^{[4] [2]}​

Team

The Post-Quantum Security Team is led by Thomas Coratger, a cryptographic engineer at the Ethereum Foundation. He and his contributing team are also behind the development of the LeanVM project. ^{[3] [4]}​

Several other key individuals are involved with the team and its initiatives:

• Emile is a cryptographer and member of the PQ team, described as a "world-class talent" and a key figure behind the development of leanVM. ^{[2] [5]}
• Justin Drake is a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation who publicly announced the team's formation and serves as a key spokesperson and proponent of its strategic direction. He is also a member of Coinbase's Quantum Computing Advisory Board, indicating cross-industry alignment on the issue. ^[4]
• Antonio Sanso is a researcher tasked with leading the bi-weekly "All Core Devs PQ transactions breakout call," which focuses on the user-facing aspects of the post-quantum transition. ^[1]
• Will Corcoran coordinates the multi-client post-quantum consensus development networks (devnets) and the weekly interoperability calls between the participating development teams. ^[1]
• Alex Hicks is a researcher involved in using artificial intelligence for the formal verification of cryptographic foundations. He successfully used a specialized AI to generate a formal proof for a complex lemma in hash-based SNARKs, a development Drake described as "Mind-blowing." ^[1]

Technical Strategy and Development

The team's strategy is focused on a proactive and multi-faceted engineering effort centered on hash-based cryptography. ^[1]​

leanVM Virtual Machine

The "cryptographic cornerstone" of Ethereum’s entire post-quantum strategy is a project called leanVM. It is a minimalist zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) virtual machine specifically optimized for quantum-resistant, hash-based signatures. The leanVM is central to the long-term plan for implementing efficient aggregation of transaction signatures, a key component for maintaining network performance after the transition. ^{[3] [4]}​

Consensus and Execution Layers

As of the team's announcement in January 2026, multi-client post-quantum consensus development networks were already operational. These devnets allow for the testing and validation of the new post-quantum systems in a live, multi-client environment. Established consensus client teams such as Lighthouse and Grandine had implemented these devnets, with the Prysm client team expected to release its implementation soon. This work is supported by pioneering teams like @zeamETH, @ReamLabs, @PierTwo_com, @geanclient, and @ethlambda_lean. ^{[2] [1]}​

Account Abstraction and User-Facing Security

Ethereum's account abstraction roadmap (via EIP-4337) is considered a key advantage, as it is believed to provide a clearer and smoother migration path for users to adopt quantum-resistant accounts compared to the hard-fork-dependent model of blockchains like Bitcoin. ^[4] The developer sessions led by Antonio Sanso are set to concentrate on these user-facing defenses, including exploring post-quantum security through account abstraction and developing dedicated cryptographic precompiles. ^[5]​

Formal Verification and AI

The team is leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate the formal verification (FV) of the complex cryptographic proofs that underpin post-quantum systems. This approach was highlighted by the work of researcher Alex Hicks, who successfully used an AI tool to generate a formal proof for alemma related to hash-based SNARKs, demonstrating the potential for AI to enhance the security and reliability of the new cryptographic foundations. ^[1]​

Research, Funding, and Community Engagement

The Ethereum Foundation has committed significant financial resources and community-building initiatives to support the post-quantum transition.

Research Prizes

To incentivize research and harden the cryptographic primitives of its strategy, the foundation has established multi-million dollar prize pools.

• The Poseidon Prize: A $1 million prize was announced to encourage analysis and improvements to "harden" the Poseidon hash function. This function is a type of STARK-friendly hash function critical to Ethereum's zero-knowledge proof systems and its broader hash-based strategy. ^{[4] [3]}
• The Proximity Prize: An additional $1 million has been allocated for another post-quantum initiative under this name to incentivize broader research in the field. ^[2]

Developer and Community Events

A series of events and regular meetings are planned to accelerate development and foster community collaboration. These include:

• Bi-weekly "All Core Devs PQ transactions breakout calls" scheduled to begin in February 2026. ^[1]
• A dedicated "PQ day" event planned for March 29, 2026, in Cannes, just before the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC). ^[1]
• A three-day thematic workshop on post-quantum security scheduled for October 2026 in Cambridge, intended to convene global experts. ^[2]

Educational and Industry Collaboration

The team is engaged in educational outreach and industry-wide collaboration. The EF Enterprise Acceleration arm is preparing educational materials targeted at enterprises and nation-states. Additionally, a collaboration with ZKPodcast is underway to produce a six-part video series explaining Ethereum's PQ strategy. In a sign of broader industry cooperation, the Ethereum Foundation is also a represented member on the post-quantum advisory board announced by Coinbase in January 2026. ^[1]​