Vitalik Buterin now holds a dedicated research role within the Ethereum Foundation following the April 2025 leadership transition, allowing him to focus on long-term innovations such as zkVMs, privacy protocols, and execution layer redesigns.

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Stańczak said the change aims to give Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin more time for research and exploration rather than dealing with day-to-day tasks and crisis management.

We aimed, among other things, to free more of Vitalik’s time for research and exploration, rather than day-to-day coordination or crisis response. Each time Vitalik shares insights or communicates a direction, he accelerates major long-term breakthroughs.