Giving students interdisciplinary perspectives on the evolving cryptocurrency industry

When new technology opens the door for innovation, there is always a possibility for bad-faith actors to take advantage. Particularly when considering the growth of the cryptocurrency market, Divya Ramjee believes it’s important that students gain a robust understanding of these digital assets and the underlying technologies before they hit the job market.

“While most transactions are legitimate, cryptocurrencies are still widely used for illicit activities including money laundering and dark market sales,” said Ramjee, assistant professor of criminal justice and public policy, and director of the Data Science, Innovation, and Public Policy lab. “It's important that students who are interested in investigating these types of crimes understand how the analytical and data science elements of this type of work interact with the law and regulatory policy.”

This fall, Ramjee is teaching a new course called Advanced Methods: Cryptocurrency/Blockchain Analytics, in which students will gain a better understanding of blockchain analytics, criminal and national security investigations, and the development of cryptocurrency policy and regulations. Ramjee explained that students will work with real-world data and industry-level software, and will leave the course with the knowledge and experience that the government and private sectors are looking for when recruiting new hires.

Students in the course will also earn two industry-recognized certifications: Chainalysis Cryptocurrency Fundamentals Certification and Chainalysis Reactor Certification. Enrolled students will earn both certifications for free upon completion of the course and required examinations.

The course is currently open to advanced undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students across the university, encouraging students from any academic background with an interest in blockchain analysis and cryptocurrency to enroll.

This opportunity for students was made possible through a new collaboration between RIT’s College of Liberal Arts and Chainalysis, the blockchain data platform.

“It’s important that we’re able to offer a course like this to students of all majors because a foundation in the liberal arts and humanities can greatly enhance one’s understanding of issues surrounding technology like cryptocurrencies,” said Kelly Norris Martin, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “Interdisciplinary partnerships like this will better prepare our students to combat the evolving challenges of the digital world, and the hands-on experience addressing current issues will make them more marketable to future employers.”

In addition to the certifications earned during the course, students will also benefit from the company’s tracing and attribution exercises using open-source intelligence (OSINT) and Chainalysis investigative solutions.

“Understanding how to detect and investigate illicit activity on blockchains is an important skill for the next generation of financial crime experts. We’re thrilled to collaborate with RIT to help educate future investigators and analysts on how to harness cryptocurrency’s inherent transparency for leads and ultimately help build a safer financial system,” said Kevin O’Brien, President, Chainalysis Government Solutions.

For more information about the course and how to enroll, contact Divya Ramjee: dqrgcj@rit.edu.