Key Takeaways

• Ethereum Foundation names Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik as new Protocol Cluster co-leads ahead of the Glamsterdam upgrade. 

• The leadership change aims to maintain continuity while improving coordination across Ethereum’s core protocol development work. 

• New leads focus on scaling, security, and cryptography, including zkEVM, zkVM proofs, and post-quantum research.

The Ethereum Foundation is making a key change to the team behind its core protocol development. Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik have been named co-leads of the Protocol Cluster, the group responsible for steering Ethereum’s technical direction and coordinating its biggest engineering decisions.

The move comes as Ethereum works toward “Glamsterdam,” its next major network upgrade, and points to a stronger focus on scaling, security, and long-term protocol stability from one of crypto’s most influential development organizations.

New Co-Leads Step Up to Head Ethereum’s Protocol Cluster

Under the new structure, Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik take over from outgoing leads Barnabé Monnot and Tim Beiko, who played a central role in shaping Ethereum’s development over the years. Long-time researcher Alex Stokes is also stepping back for a break.

The handover is designed to maintain continuity. All three incoming leads have been deeply involved in protocol development before stepping into these formal roles, meaning the transition is less about a change in direction and more about bringing fresh ownership to work already well underway.

With a packed technical roadmap ahead, the new co-leads will be responsible for coordinating research, aligning contributors, and keeping Ethereum’s core development on track.

Focus Areas: Scaling, Security, and Advanced Cryptography

Each of the newly appointed leads will oversee distinct technical domains, covering some of the most important areas in Ethereum’s long-term development.

• Will Corcoran takes charge of zkVM proofs and post-quantum consensus research. His work focuses on preparing Ethereum’s infrastructure for a future in which quantum computers could break current encryption standards, making this one of the more forward-looking priorities on the roadmap.
• Kev Wedderburn will lead development of the zkEVM stack, a core part of Ethereum’s scalability push. Zero-knowledge technology allows transactions to be verified without exposing underlying data, and improving the zkEVM is key to boosting Ethereum’s transaction capacity without sacrificing security or decentralization.
• Fredrik will head protocol security efforts, including work under the “Trillion Dollar Security” initiative. The program focuses on strengthening Ethereum’s base layer to a level capable of supporting large-scale global usage, from institutional finance to critical infrastructure.

Together, the three leads cover a broad but connected set of priorities. Their combined focus on cryptographic advancement, scalability, and security reflects where Ethereum sees its biggest technical challenges and opportunities in the years ahead.

Timing Aligns With Glamsterdam Upgrade Push

The leadership change comes at a critical point in Ethereum’s development. The network is actively working toward Glamsterdam, one of the most anticipated hard forks in its roadmap, and the incoming leads will play a direct role in seeing it through.

Glamsterdam is built around making Ethereum’s base layer faster and more efficient. The upgrade targets improvements in block processing, transaction speed, and data handling across the network, changes that matter for both everyday users and developers building on top of Ethereum.

Key goals of the upgrade include:

• Higher transaction capacity and lower gas costs for users.
• Better handling of block production through enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS).
• Cleaner data and state management across the network.
• Groundwork for more advanced scaling changes down the line.

Development is already moving. Recent testing has produced stable multi-client devnets and finalized several core protocol improvements, showing that Glamsterdam is on track. With new leadership now in place, the Protocol Cluster is set to keep that momentum going through the upgrade’s final stages.

Hegotá Upgrade and Roadmap Adjustments

Looking beyond Glamsterdam, Ethereum developers are already planning its follow-up upgrade, Hegotá. Rather than pushing everything into one release, the team has chosen to move several key features, including Verkle Trees and advanced account abstraction components, into Hegotá. This keeps Glamsterdam lean and lowers the risk of delays from taking on too much at once.

The approach reflects a big shift in how Ethereum handles protocol development. Instead of large, high-risk overhauls, the network is moving toward smaller, focused upgrades that are easier to test and roll out safely. Hegotá is expected to cover cleanup work, optimizations, and features that need more time to develop properly, giving the team room to get things right without slowing down progress on Glamsterdam.

Ethereum Foundation Emphasizes Long-Term Stability

The Protocol Cluster restructuring is not just a personnel change. It is part of a wider effort by the Ethereum Foundation to improve coordination across an increasingly complex protocol. As Ethereum takes on bigger goals around speed, cryptographic integration, and security, having a stable and well-organized core team has become just as important as the technical work itself.

The Foundation has noted that the new leadership structure is designed to support smoother execution of the Strawmap, Ethereum’s long-term roadmap covering its scaling and infrastructure goals. With multiple upgrades in motion and more planned ahead, the restructuring gives the Protocol Cluster a clearer structure to work from, helping the team stay aligned and move faster without losing sight of its core priorities.

Final Thoughts

The appointment of Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik as co-leads of Ethereum’s Protocol Cluster strengthens the network’s core development at a key moment ahead of the Glamsterdam upgrade. The transition maintains continuity while sharpening focus on scaling, security, and advanced cryptography. With Glamsterdam and the upcoming Hegotá upgrade shaping Ethereum’s roadmap, the new leadership structure supports a more structured and disciplined approach to development. This helps ensure upgrades are delivered safely while still pushing the protocol forward. Overall, the change reinforces Ethereum’s long-term strategy: steady, well-coordinated progress toward a faster, more secure, and more scalable global blockchain.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Ethereum Foundation announce about its protocol leadership?

The Ethereum Foundation appointed Will Corcoran, Kev Wedderburn, and Fredrik as new co-leads of the Protocol Cluster, replacing outgoing leadership to guide core development.

What is the Protocol Cluster in Ethereum?

The Protocol Cluster is the core development group responsible for Ethereum’s technical direction, including protocol upgrades, research coordination, and major engineering decisions.

What areas will the new Ethereum leaders focus on?

They will focus on scaling solutions like zkEVM, cryptographic research such as zkVM proofs, and long-term security improvements, including post-quantum protection.

What is the Glamsterdam upgrade in Ethereum?

Glamsterdam is Ethereum’s upcoming major upgrade designed to improve transaction speed, block efficiency, data handling, and overall base-layer performance.

How does this leadership change affect Ethereum’s roadmap?

It makes Ethereum’s roadmap easier to execute by improving how teams work together, especially on scaling, security, and core infrastructure upgrades.