Ambrosus, the blockchain-based ecosystem for the food and pharmaceutical supply chain, has announced that the head of ETH Zurich’s Distributed Computing Group Dr. Roger Wattenhofer will join the company as Solutions Architect.

Wattenhofer will bring his extensive expertise in distributed computing expertise spanning over two decades to the startup. Previously, he had worked at Microsoft Research in Redmond, WA, and his projects have spawned startup companies, including Wuala, StreamForge, and BitSplitters. He recently published the book, "Distributed Ledger Technology: The Science of the Blockchain.”

According to the official release, Wattenhofer will be responsible for the company’s blockchain architecture design, including token functionality, protocol scalability, smart contracts, sensor data ‘trust’, and user authentication and privacy.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Ambrosus team, particularly at this crucial stage in its growth. This is an extraordinarily talented group of individuals building an infrastructure that was previously unthinkable. My interest has always been in solving problems with real-world impacts, and I’m excited to be helping Ambrosus do just that, particularly at this crucial stage in its growth,” said Wattenhofer.

Founded by Angel Versetti and Dr. Stefan Meyer, Ambrosus combines IoT sensors, blockchain technology, and smart contracts to ensure a more secure and autonomous supply chain for food and pharmaceutical products, with improved transparency processes that allow consumers to easily see where their products come from and what is really in them. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and officially endorsed by EIT Food, Ambrosus is the first blockchain project to become an official partner of the United Nations 10YFP which is responsible for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Leading the Distributed Computing Group at ETH Zurich, one of the world’s top engineering schools, Roger has a unique combination of academic expertise, applied technical skills, and industry connections key to helping drive Ambrosus’ success,” Angel Versetti, Ambrosus Co-founder and CEO said. “For decades Dr. Roger Wattenhofer has established an irrefutable reputation as a true industry leader, and we are thrilled to see our platform’s phenomenal team bolstered by the addition of such a visionary.”