Founded on Demonstrated
Technical Capability
Maarai Labs is not a marketing firm with audit services bolted on. Every service we offer comes from direct, production-level implementation of the systems we review.
To Help New Protocols Ship Securely in a Market That Has Not Kept Up
The blockchain ecosystem is expanding faster than the security infrastructure around it. Hundreds of ZK protocols, EigenLayer AVS projects, and DeFi systems are approaching mainnet every year — but the number of firms with genuine, hands-on expertise in these architectures remains small.
Most audit firms built their practices around standard Solidity and EVM contracts. ZK circuits, AVS slashing logic, and operator economics are a different class of problem entirely — and very few reviewers have actually built and deployed these systems in production.
Maarai Labs exists to close that gap. We bring production-level experience in the exact systems early-stage protocols are building — not general security consulting rebranded for Web3. And because we operate as a focused independent firm rather than a large audit house with significant overhead, our engagements are priced to reflect the actual scope of the work — not the brand on the letterhead.
Legal Entity
Dr. Shital Joshi
Founder & Principal Security Researcher
Background
Dr. Shital Joshi holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of North Texas (2016) and an M.Tech from IIT-BHU, India. He is currently a Teaching Associate Professor of Computer Science at Oklahoma State University, a position he holds independently from Maarai Labs, which operates as a separate outside business activity.
His academic record includes 20+ peer-reviewed publications in IEEE, ACM, and Springer journals, with blockchain security research presented at IEEE BCCA 2022 and 2023. He serves as a reviewer for IEEE Transactions, Springer, and Elsevier journals. During his doctoral studies, he contributed to an Air Force STTR Phase 1 research project. His full publication record is available on Google Scholar.
Beyond academia, Dr. Joshi has built production-grade ZK proof systems and EigenLayer AVS architecture from scratch — including working Halo2 SHPLONK/KZG circuits deployed on Ethereum Sepolia, a complete Plonky2 ZK-STARK implementation, and a fully registered EigenLayer AVS with a live Rust operator node. This is not familiarity with the research literature — it is hands-on engineering experience with the exact systems that Maarai Labs audits.
Demonstrated Experience by Area
Halo2 SHPLONK/KZG
Built and deployed end-to-end Halo2 circuit with on-chain SHPLONK verifier on Ethereum Sepolia. Resolved transcript compatibility, memory-safe assembly, and verifying key separation — production-level issues not publicly documented.
Plonky2 ZK-STARKs
Implemented complete Plonky2 ZK-STARK circuit on Goldilocks field with Poseidon hash and range checks. Built recursive proof composition with production-optimized circuit caching.
EigenLayer AVS Architecture
Designed and deployed full AVS — ServiceManager, OperatorRegistry, TaskManager, SlashingConditions — with a live Rust operator node registered on Sepolia via EigenLayer AVSDirectory.
Solidity / OpenZeppelin 5.x
Built and tested multi-contract system including ERC-20, EIP-2612, AMM, staking, slashing, and ZK verifier contracts with 235+ passing tests.
Rust Systems Programming
Built production ZK prover servers (Plonky2 and Halo2 backends) with HTTP REST APIs, thread stack management, and startup warmup optimization.
Academic Research
Ph.D. Computer Science & Engineering (University of North Texas, 2016). M.Tech. IIT-BHU, India. 20+ peer-reviewed publications in IEEE, ACM, and Springer. Blockchain research presented at IEEE BCCA 2022 and 2023. Reviewer for IEEE Transactions, Springer, and Elsevier journals. Contributed to an Air Force STTR Phase 1 research project during doctoral studies.
20+ Peer-Reviewed Publications
Full List on Google Scholar →Full publication list with citations available at scholar.google.com/citations?user=ceTRV6gAAAAJ. Blockchain-specific publications at IEEE BCCA 2022 and 2023 are directly relevant to the security methodology applied in Maarai Labs engagements.
Senior Expertise at Every Stage
Maarai Labs engagements are built around one standard: every technical decision is made by a senior expert with production experience in the system being reviewed. No findings get written by junior analysts. No review gets signed off without direct expert validation. As the firm grows, that standard does not change — only the capacity does.