Contact
For general inquiries, contact dci@media.mit.edu
For applications and hiring-related questions, contact dci-jobs@mit.edu
For questions about DCI-hosted events, contact dcievents@media.mit.edu
For all press and media inquiries, please complete this form.
Get involved
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MIT Employee Roles: There are currently no open roles
Independent Contractor Roles: There are currently no open roles
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We, the DCI, do not directly process applications or accept students for MIT. If you are interested in applying to MIT, please visit the MIT Admissions page
We work with the following types of students on projects related to Bitcoin and digital currency technologies, including their adoption and use cases, across hands-on engineering, research, product management, and user research roles:
MIT students as UROPs, RAs, MEng students, PMs, and in other roles.
Non-MIT students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs at other institutions, particularly engineering students participating in co-op programs.
To apply for student opportunities, email your CV or résumé to dci@media.mit.edu, with the subject line “Interested Student CV/Résumé” and include:
Type of opportunity sought (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, engineering or research, hours available per week, in-person or remote, etc.)
Academic term(s) of interest
Your school, program, and expected graduation date
Your location during the appointment (Please note: we cannot currently accept student workers who will be located outside the United States during their employment or appointment.)
Relevant experience (please also include your GitHub profile, if applicable)
The DCI project, research area, and/or mentor you are interested in working with
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Join the DCI Slack workspace
MIT students may join using their MIT email address.
Non-MIT students should email dci@media.mit.edu with their résumé and university email to request access.
Attend the DCI research seminars (Hybrid) - Please email dci@media.mit.edu with your resume.
Join Student Clubs
Join the MIT Bitcoin Club (More tech focused) or the MIT Sloan Blockchain Club (More business/finance focused)MIT students can join club events, meetings, and conferences
Non-MIT students and members of the public can attend events and conferences, such as the MIT Bitcoin Expo
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Get involved with Bitcoin development!
Clone Bitcoin Core and start hacking: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/
Please consider lurking for a while before opening a PR/Issue!
Bitcoin-dev mailing list: https://groups.google.com/g/bitcoindev?pli=1
Join IRC channel: #bitcoin-core-dev on Libera - full details: https://bitcoincore.org/en/meetings/
Review club: Safe, welcoming environment to learn about hacking on Bitcoin - Held the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month, at 17:00 UTC on IRC - full details: https://bitcoincore.reviews/
Community events!
Please keep an eye out for DCI-sponsored conferences and events.
Attend the annual student led MIT Bitcoin Club’s Bitcoin Expo
Attend your regional BitDevs Meetup - Boston BitDevs
Join your local cryptocurrency meetup!
Check out the Bitcoin and Blockchain Events Calendar
Learn
In addition to exploring the DCI’s projects, blog posts, newsletters, and other publications, you can learn more about Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and related technologies through the educational resources below.
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The DCI is not currently teaching any courses
Read about our past classes here. -
These courses are taught at MIT and brought to you by MIT OpenCourseWare.
Cryptocurrency Design and Engineering - Coming Soon!
Course Number MAS. S62 - Fall 2025Bitcoin and other cryptographic currencies have been rapidly gaining adoption. This course explores the design of Bitcoin and other blockchains and how they function in practice, focusing on cryptography, game theory, security, networking, and system architecture. In Fall 2025, this course will be co-taught with the University of Brasília, connecting students through projects and discussions. Our goal is to get a more global view of the potential impact and use cases of the technology. Programming assignments in the course will give practical experience interacting with cryptocurrency software. Prior programming experience is required, and exposure to computer science systems or security courses is recommended.
Course Materials - MAS.S62 2025 on GitHub
Cryptocurrency Engineering and Design
Course Number: MAS.S62 - Spring 2018Bitcoin and other cryptographic currencies have gained attention over the years as the systems continue to evolve. This course looks at the design of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and how they function in practice, focusing on cryptography, game theory, and network architecture. Future developments in smart contracts and privacy will be covered as well. Programming assignments in the course will give practical experience interacting with these currencies, so some programming experience is required. Course taught by Tadge Dryja and Neha Narula.
Course Materials - MAS.S62 2018 on GitHub
Lecture Videos and Slides - MAS.S62 2018 on MIT OCWEntrepreneurs without Borders
Course Number: 15.395 - Fall 2016This course examines opportunities and problems for entrepreneurs globally, including Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Linkages between the business environment, the institutional framework, and new venture creation are covered with a special focus on blockchain technology. In addition to discussing a range of global entrepreneurial situations, student groups pick one particular cluster on which to focus and to understand what further development would entail. Classroom interactions are based primarily on case studies. Course taught by Robleh Ali, Michael Casey, Simon Johnson, & Neha Narula
Lecture Videos and Slides - 15.395 on MIT OCW
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Cryptocurrency
This six-week online course through Getsmarter.com provides a rigorous introduction to cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and the evolving digital asset ecosystem. Guided by experts from the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative and industry leaders, participants explore how cryptocurrencies work, their capabilities and limitations, and how they compare with traditional finance. Topics include blockchain technology, cryptocurrency security, smart contracts, decentralized applications (DApps), and digital asset economics. Through real-world examples and case studies, learners develop practical frameworks for evaluating cryptocurrency projects and gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities, challenges, and future potential of digital money.
This course for people who want to purchase an executive-style course - learn more here
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This list is not exhaustive and is intended only as a starting point for further exploration. The views expressed in the materials listed below do not necessarily reflect those of the DCI.
Updated List Coming Soon
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