About Tokka Labs

Tokka Labs is a proprietary trading firm specializing in digital assets within the blockchain space. Founded in 2022 and based in Singapore, we are pioneers in digital asset trading, focusing on close collaboration, rigorous research, and cutting-edge technology. As experienced market makers for top protocols on popular blockchains, we enhance market efficiency by identifying and arbitraging mis-pricings, while providing liquidity in the blockchain ecosystem. We are committed to innovation and excellence in the fast-paced world of decentralized finance (DeFi), on-chain, and cross-chain trading.

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled algorithm researcher to join our core research team. In this role, you will design, analyze, and optimize algorithms that power our systems such as pathfinding, resource allocation, and arbitrage detection across complex, dynamic environments. The ideal candidate holds a relevant PhD and loves deep problem-solving, mathematical modeling, and turning theory into high-performance, real-world solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Research and develop novel algorithms for DeFi trading such as:
• Efficient and adaptive pathfinding in large or dynamic graphs representing on-chain and/or cross-chain environments.
• Real-time arbitrage detection in market-like environments.
• Optimized resource allocation under various real-world constraints such time, gas-cost, slippage, protocol capacity.
• Analyze algorithmic trade-offs in performance, scalability, accuracy, and complexity.
• Work with large-scale on-chain/off-chain datasets from blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana to validate models and refine strategies.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to prototype and productionize algorithmic solutions.
• Benchmark, test, and iterate on algorithms using real-world and simulated data.
• Stay up-to-date with advancements in graph theory, combinatorial optimization, AI planning, and OR.
• Contribute to technical strategy around architecture, tooling, and algorithm selection.
• Participate in research papers, contribute to open-source projects, and stay ahead of emerging DeFi trends and technologies.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Strong foundation in algorithms and data structures, with a focus on graph algorithms (e.g. Dijkstra, A*, flow networks)
• Proven experience designing and analyzing algorithms beyond textbook implementations.
• Proficiency in a programming language suitable for research and prototyping (e.g. Python or Rust).
• Ability to model and solve real-world decision problems under uncertainty and constraints.
• Strong communication skills to articulate complex ideas and work collaboratively in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary team.

Preferred Skills

• 2+ years of working experience in fintech, cryptocurrency trading, or DeFi research (academic or industry).
• Familiarity with blockchain technologies, DeFi and on-chain data analytics tools.
• Knowledge of smart contract development (Solidity) and simulation environments.
• Contributions to open-source blockchain or graph-related projects.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology in a dynamic, innovative environment.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Collaborative culture with a focus on research and professional growth.
• Flexible work arrangements and support for relocation to Singapore if needed.