Duke Blockchain Lab

Melissa (Trinity '17) is a senior studying computer science and economics. She first became interested in blockchain technology after taking Cam Harvey's course, Innovation and Cryptoventures, in the spring of 2015. She was fascinated by the potential for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to help the unbanked in developing countries. She started the Blockchain Lab to give other students the resources to have an impact on their respective industries and eventually start their own ventures built on this powerful technology. After graduation she will be joining Coinbase as a software engineer in San Francisco.

Campbell R. Harvey is Professor of Finance at the Fuqua School of Business. He is the 2016 President of the American Finance Association. Professor Harvey teaches a blockchain-focused course called Innovation and Cryptoventures.

Howie Rhee serves two roles at Duke University. Since 2007, he has been the Managing Director at Fuqua’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. After the creation of Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (Duke I&E), he took on the additional role of Managing Director for Student and Alumni Affairs for Duke I&E. he is dedicated to making entrepreneurship at Duke University awesome. His programs at Duke include the Program for Entrepreneurs, Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs, the Duke Startup Challenge, the Duke Global Entrepreneurship Network, StartupConnect, and advising a number of student organizations.

Dhruv Luthra is a junior studying Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science. His interest in technology led him to learn about blockchain and its revolutionary applications in finance and beyond. He hopes that the Duke Blockchain Lab will serve as springboard for innovative applications of blockchain by students. This summer, Dhruv will be working as a software engineering intern at Slack before returning to complete his senior year.

Sinclair is currently a junior studying Computer Science and Psychology. His interest in blockchain applications first started summer of 2015 after meeting Fred Ehrsam, Duke alum & Coinbase co-founder. Sinclair has previously worked at Make School as a UI/UX design instructor and most recently as a program manager, managing a team of eight iOS instructors. This summer, Sinclair will join Palantir as a Forward Deployed Engineer intern.

Felipe Concha is a senior from Sammamish, Washington majoring in Economics and Public Policy Studies. Felipe spent his freshman summer working at an NGO in Santiago, Chile as part of Duke Engage. He has worked the past two summers as an intern at J.P. Morgan in their Sales & Trading division, and will be returning full-time next year. On-campus Felipe serves as the President of the Duke Business Society.

Christopher Sides is currently a sophomore studying Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering. He is interested in value transactions using blockchain applications.

Kelly Garvy is the Program Coordinator for Student and Alumni Affairs at Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She received her Masters in Environmental Management at the Nicholas School of the Environment with a certificate in Environmental Innovation & Entrepreneurship in 2015. She is passionate about using entrepreneurship to battle climate change and build green cities.

Brent Xu has an extensive background in entrepreneurship, capital markets, real estate, biomedical research, and insurance. Brent discovered Ethereum and ConsenSys while attending a class taught by Professor Campbell Harvey on Innovations and Cryptoventures. Brent’s current role at ConsenSys involves enterprise business development along with China expansion. As Head of Structured Finance, he leads a team tasked with utilizing blockchain technology to research and facilitate the creation of multiple debt products through blockchain based securitization. Brent received his Bachelor of Science in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Philosophy from Duke University. He also received his Master’s in Management Science from the Duke Fuqua School of Business. He is currently very supportive of the Duke Blockchain lab and finding the best ways to allocate Ethereum to the lab in various capacities.