Software engineer

Amir Shirif

I build production systems across backend infrastructure, platform services, and EVM-based products with an emphasis on clear interfaces and dependable delivery.

Impact ~9x faster CI for contract delivery workflows
Scale $100M+ TVL supported across protocol systems
Platforms Ethereum, Base, Polygon

About

Backend, platform, and contract work.

I work on systems close to money, identity, and operational risk. That started with smart contracts and EVM systems, and now extends into backend APIs, auth flows, and platform foundations.

I care about clear interfaces, strong testing, and predictable releases. Outside work, I spend time on cross country running, skiing, and Muay Thai.

How I work

  • Clear system boundaries across backend services and contract surfaces
  • API-first development with OpenAPI, codegen, and reliable integrations
  • Testing and CI improvements that shorten delivery feedback loops
  • Security-minded execution for systems with real production constraints

Experience

Roles and scope.

Lead Smart Contract Engineer

Just Games, Inc. / Nashville, TN

September 2025 - Present

  • Own contract architecture for a decentralized betting protocol, separating core logic from event pipelines, oracle handling, and downstream operational services.
  • Reduced CI turnaround by roughly 9x through test-suite restructuring and build-pipeline cleanup, improving delivery speed for contract changes.
  • Integrated oracle and event-driven workflows that made ingestion, settlement, and downstream operations more reliable in production.

Lead Smart Contract Developer

Telcoin, LLC. / Santa Monica, CA

May 2023 - September 2025

  • Led architecture and delivery of staking, governance, liquidity, and treasury contracts supporting more than $100M TVL across Ethereum, Polygon, and Telcoin's L1 development network.
  • Owned the full delivery path from specification and testing through audit coordination, release planning, and deployment for high-assurance Solidity systems.
  • Raised the quality bar for protocol delivery with stricter reviews, stronger test discipline, and more audit-ready engineering practices.

Smart Contract Developer

Telcoin, LLC. / Santa Monica, CA

October 2020 - May 2023

  • Built secure backend and cloud infrastructure for blockchain products that depended on scalable application services and reliable integrations.
  • Delivered wallet, payments, and profile-data integrations that improved partner-dependent transaction flows and reduced operational friction.
  • Helped formalize engineering policies and release standards so production changes were more consistent and less reactive.

Education

New York University

Master of Science in Computer Science

August 2017 - May 2020

Education

University of California, Irvine

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

September 2010 - June 2014

Selected Work

Public work and case studies.

Featured case study Just Games

Decentralized betting protocol architecture

Production betting protocol architecture where contract logic, oracle timing, and settlement workflows had to stay aligned while operational services evolved around them.

  • Owned the system boundaries between core betting logic, oracle-driven events, and downstream operational services.
  • Cut CI turnaround by roughly 9x, making contract delivery faster and tightening the engineering feedback loop.
  • Integrated oracle and event-driven workflows that improved ingestion, settlement consistency, and downstream reliability.

Solidity / Foundry / TypeScript / CI / Oracle integrations

Public project GitHub

chatter-blocks

A backend-free chat protocol for EVM chains with a terminal-first product surface, on-chain rendezvous flows, and client-side encrypted messaging.

  • Designed a contract and Node CLI flow that stores compact message indexes on-chain while keeping plaintext encrypted client-side.
  • Built local key management, contact metadata, draft state, and rendezvous invite handling without relying on a backend or indexer.
  • Added end-to-end product-flow tests that deploy locally, drive two-user setup, and verify real encrypted messaging through the terminal app.

Solidity / Foundry / Node.js / CLI UX / X25519 / EVM

GitHub
Public project GitHub

atom

A source-backed Solidity and Foundry project for modeling atoms, nuclides, decay previews, and narrow chemistry surfaces directly on-chain.

  • Built canonical contract surfaces for atom descriptions, subshell occupancy, nuclide metadata, and one-step decay previews.
  • Generated packed on-chain reference blobs from source data so the contracts stay tied to reproducible chemistry inputs.
  • Added a tiny static demo plus generated parity tests and behavioral tests to keep the model and contract outputs aligned.

Solidity / Foundry / Python data generation / Static demo / Reference data

GitHub

Tools

Core stack.

Backend and platform

Go PostgreSQL OpenAPI sqlc Auth and sessions Background jobs Docker CI pipelines

Client and interface work

TypeScript Next.js SwiftUI Generated clients Admin tooling

Protocol and EVM

Solidity Foundry Ethereum Base Polygon Oracle integrations Audit-ready testing