London, UK
Will Abramson
Building cryptographic systems for identity, coordination, and trust.
About
I design infrastructure for trust in a networked world.
As a senior engineer and standards leader, I work on decentralized identity, cryptography, and interoperable systems that enable secure coordination without centralized control. My work spans decentralized identifiers, verifiable credentials and open cryptographic protocols.
I build production systems and prototypes to test assumptions, validate architectures and bring new trust infrastructure to life.
I am particularly interested in how these technologies enable trust, coordination, and shared memory in an increasingly autonomous digital society.
Expertise
Decentralised Identity
Designing interoperable identity systems using DIDs and verifiable credentials to enable secure, privacy-preserving data exchange across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries.
Applied Cryptography
Designing protocols that apply well-established cryptographic primitives to provide integrity, privacy, and verifiability across trust boundaries. My work focuses on digital signatures, selective disclosure, and verifiable data structures to enable secure coordination in adversarial environments.
Requirements & Specification Development
Translating complex technical and regulatory requirements into implementable specifications, data models, and interoperable system designs.
Standards Leadership
Shaping open standards and building cross-sector consensus to enable interoperable trust infrastructure.
Experience
Senior Engineer
2021 — PresentWork on decentralized identity infrastructure, cryptographic protocols, and open standards enabling interoperable trust systems.
- —Led the design and specification of a Bitcoin-anchored DID method, did:btcr2, including reference implementation and test vectors
- —Developed the DID Resolution test suite for the W3C DIDWG and produced a conformant DID Resolver implementation
- —Developed the diddirectory.com, a public directory of DID methods with automated ingestion, search, and maintenance workflows
- —Translated complex client requirements into implementable architectures, improving delivery alignment and reducing rework
Chair
2024 — PresentFacilitate global collaboration to advance decentralized identity standards toward W3C Recommendation.
- —Build consensus across implementers on privacy, security, and interoperability trade-offs
- —Support editorial development of the specification, reviewing technical proposals and contributing to specification text
Security & Identity Lead
2020 — 2021Worked on the intersection of decentralized identity and privacy-preserving machine learning.
- —Built a PySyft plugin enabling federated learning connections secured with DIDs and verifiable credentials
- —Developed experimental tooling demonstrating Hyperledger Aries agent orchestration workflows
- —Produced course material on Public Key Infrastructure for the Foundations of Private Computation curriculum
Software Engineer
2019 — 2020Delivered full-stack components supporting secure digital credentialing for healthcare professionals as part of the NHS Staff Passport pilot.
Software Engineer
2019Developed features for scientific software used to support regulatory chemical toxicity assessment and safety decision-making.
Projects
did:btcr2 Python Reference Implementation
ActiveA reference implementation of the BTCR2 DID method specification supporting create, read, update, and deactivate operations, with a conformant HTTPS-based DID resolver.
Identity and Interaction Exhibition
ActiveA playful virtual exhibition presenting abstract conceptual renderings of social reality. Built using Scaffold-ETH and NFT-based artifacts, it explores ideas around autonomous worlds, digital presence, and mediated interaction.
Tree Appreciation
ActiveA place-based experiment exploring memory, stewardship, and verifiable interaction with physical environments, investigating how digital systems can support shared presence and ecological connection.
Scottish Healthcare Ecosystem PoC
CompletedPrototype exploring decentralized identity and verifiable credential workflows across healthcare institutions, demonstrating interoperable trust relationships and secure data exchange.
Contact
I’m always interested in conversations about decentralized identity, trust infrastructure, and systems that enable secure coordination.
If you’re working in this space — or exploring adjacent ideas — I’d be glad to connect.
hello@drwip.com