Towards a Theory of Blockchain as a Socio-Informational-Technical System

Blockchains operate as perhaps the most promising system of trust for any type of digital transaction of value — everything from cryptocurrencies to patient medical records. But a number of barriers — involving social institutions, data and identity management and technological processes — stand in the way of broader adoption. These challenges also ultimately speak to fundamental issues of trust and perceived legitimacy on the part of both service providers and their end users. This project intends to advance the state of the art in all three areas to reduce if not eliminate the barriers to broader adoption. The partner organizations involved in this project are all working to integrate blockchain in their processes and expect to significantly advance their efforts through the fruits of this research.

Faculty Supervisor:

Victoria Lemieux;Harish Krishnan;Ning Nan;Zehua Wang;Chen Feng;Ivan Beschastnikh;Alexandra Fedorova

Student:

Artemij Voskobojnikov;Danielle Alves Batista;Dingan (Derek) Chen;Fangyu Gai;Hoda Hamouda;Hassan Packir;Darra Hofman;Zachary Zabawa

Partner:

Boehringer-Ingelheim Canada Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of British Columbia