Ken Smith is a Rocket Scientist and member of the Grants and Management Committee at Rocket Pool, the permissionless decentralized liquid staking protocol for Ethereum. He has operated a node since the 2021 mainnet launch. He founded NextBlock Solutions LLC, providing Ethereum blockchain consulting, training, and educational services to web3 organizations. His crypto involvement began in 2014 with homebuilt altcoin mining rigs. Ken has published work analyzing economic returns in EVM-smoothing pools (including low-ether-bonded minipools) and has developed procedures for pairing the Aegis Key with Rocket Pool nodes to enhance physical security for home-staking setups. He co-hosts weekly Rocket Pool community calls, mentors node operators, troubleshoots issues, and represents the community on panels, in interviews, and at events (including Bankless appearances and Devcon presentations).