Ethereum core developers representing various client teams recently convened for a semi-regular interoperability gathering, commonly known as an "interop," in the remote arctic setting of Svalbard, Norway. Over the course of the intensive week-long event, the engineering teams shifted their primary focus toward the technical hardening and rigorous preparation required for Ethereum’s next major network upgrade, tentatively designated as Glamsterdam.
The gathering served as a critical milestone for the ecosystem, bringing together key contributors to collaborate face-to-face, resolve complex engineering challenges, and align on the roadmap ahead. Beyond technical alignment on network upgrades, the Svalbard interop also marked a significant turning point for the organizational structure of the Ethereum Foundation, signaling the official start of a leadership transition for the Ethereum Foundation Protocol cluster.
Team Evolution and the Outgoing Leadership
Over the past year, following the formal announcement of the Protocol Cluster in mid-2025, outgoing coordinators Barnabé Monnot, Tim Beiko, and Alex Stokes have provided critical leadership and strategic direction to the ecosystem. Their collective contributions have deeply shaped the operational and technical framework of Ethereum core development.
While Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko are soon moving on from their roles at the Ethereum Foundation, and Alex Stokes will be embarking on a scheduled sabbatical, the Protocol cluster as it exists today stands largely as a testament to their dedication and tireless work. Under their stewardship, the Protocol cluster successfully launched dedicated developmental tracks and helped coordinate the complex rollout of the Fusaka mainnet upgrade in December 2025. Fusaka introduced several groundbreaking enhancements to the network, most notably PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling), alongside raising the mainnet gas limit as part of the broader strategic path toward scaling throughput to 200 million gas and beyond.
The impact of Tim, Barnabé, and Alex on the Protocol cluster extends far beyond their active tenure, establishing foundational processes and collaborative norms that will continue to guide core developers for years to come. The broader Ethereum community has expressed deep gratitude for their leadership and looks forward to seeing what each of them undertakes in their next chapters.
Introducing the New Protocol Cluster Coordinators
The transition of leadership is already well underway. The Svalbard interop provided an ideal, organic setting for the incoming and outgoing groups to conduct impromptu conversations and strategic meetings. This close-quarters collaboration allowed the teams to initiate a smooth handoff without distracting from the immediate engineering priorities of hardening and preparing for the Glamsterdam upgrade.
The new team of Protocol Cluster Coordinators brings a diverse blend of research depth, engineering expertise, and security operations experience to the leadership roles.
Will Corcoran steps into the coordinator role with extensive experience as a Research Coordinator within the Protocol cluster. His background includes broad cross-team and cross-cluster visibility, driven by his focused work on zero-knowledge Virtual Machine (zkVM) proving, post-quantum consensus mechanisms, and the Fast Confirmation Rule. Furthermore, Corcoran has actively facilitated numerous community calls, breakout rooms, and in-person protocol events, earning him a comprehensive operational understanding of how the various moving parts of the Protocol’s efforts interconnect.
Kev Wedderburn assumes leadership responsibilities having previously led the zkEVM team. Wedderburn brings deep technical expertise operating precisely at the intersection of complex cryptography research and practical engineering. He is widely recognized within the core development circles for his first-principles approach to high-stakes technical decision-making.
Fredrik rounds out the new trio of coordinators. Fredrik currently leads Protocol Security, spearheading the critical Trillion Dollar Security initiative, and has been deeply and consistently involved in cross-cluster engineering work across the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
Looking Ahead: Glamsterdam, Hegotâ, and Beyond
With the leadership transition successfully set into motion against the backdrop of Svalbard, the immediate focus for the core developers remains firmly fixed on the roadmap ahead. The primary objective is the successful implementation of Glamsterdam, alongside continuing long-term preparations for the subsequent Hegotâ upgrade and advancing the broader infrastructural strategy outlined in the Strawmap.
Development networks, or devnets, for the Glamsterdam upgrade are already live and actively testing core assumptions. At the same time, scoping discussions and technical specifications for the Hegotâ upgrade are well underway, with FOCIL (Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists) currently scheduled for inclusion as a headliner feature on the consensus layer side. As the core development teams press forward with these initiatives, stakeholders can anticipate further updates from the new Protocol cluster coordination team of Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik in the coming weeks.
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Ethereum & Smart Contracts
