🔗 An Introduction to Blockchains: Theory and Data

Blockchains are reshaping how we think about finance, science, and infrastructure — but what exactly makes them powerful, and how can we work with blockchain data in practice?

📅 March 26, 2025 — 🕖 19:00 — 📍 Room: O131

In this Event, Dr. Stefano Balietti will offer a comprehensive and accessible introduction to public blockchains, combining theoretical foundations with practical data insights. The session is open to anyone curious about blockchain technology, whether you're new to the topic or want to deepen your understanding.

What you’ll learn:

💡 The fundamentals of public blockchains — from first principles, clearly explained.

🚀 Emerging use cases — how blockchain technologies are already applied in finance, science, and infrastructure, and what’s coming next.

📊 Blockchain data in practice — where to find blockchain data, how to access it, and ways to analyze it effectively.

🌐 The broader relevance of blockchains — understanding their role beyond cryptocurrency, as a foundation for decentralized systems.

About the speaker:

• Dr. Stefano Balietti is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Mannheim, focusing on blockchain governance, social influence, and collective intelligence.
• Former researcher at Microsoft Research, ETH Zurich, and Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science, with a background in computational social science.
• His research spans blockchain systems, optimal experimental design, and socio-economic inequality, combining data science with social science and philosophy of science.

👉https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/strohmaier/team/wissenschaftliche-mitarbeiter/stefano-balietti/ 

Agenda:

The first part will cover how public blockchains work, explained from first principles, and explore current and emerging applications like DeFi (Decentralized Finance), DeSci (Decentralized Science), and DePin (Decentralized Infrastructure Networks).

The second part will focus on how to access and analyze blockchain data, using Ethereum as a key example, and offer practical tips for working with real data. (Optional: bring a laptop to follow along — but not required.)

This event is open to students, professionals, and data enthusiasts from all backgrounds — no prior experience or technical knowledge required.

If you’re curious about blockchain, decentralized systems, or data-driven innovation, this is the perfect opportunity to gain a solid understanding and practical insights in one session.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

#Blockchain #Ethereum #DeFi #DeSci #DePin #Web3 #DataScience #Innovation #Technology #GDG