Background information

My name is Nathaniel, a full-stack developer specializing in Rust and Flutter with a deep interest in embedded systems, permissionless architectures, and web security. Previously at Cyborg Network, I contributed to the Cyborg Parachain, a decentralized AI computing network. My work focused on building resilient, on-chain systems, including a task management and worker reputation framework with automatic penalties; integrating FIAT and multi-asset payments via Asset Hub; implementing secure model encryption; and establishing cross-chain communication (XCM) for asset teleportation. Beyond my professional work, I actively explore new paradigms, having developed NOSTR-contract—an ink! smart contract that manages decentralized reporting by tracking user-to-relayer subscriptions and implementing methods for sending and challenging reports.

Motivation for applying

I view the Fellowship as the essential next step in my journey within Polkadot. My unique perspective on the technology's evolution has solidified my desire to move from observation to core contribution. I am applying to collaborate with the engineers I deeply respect, to learn from them, and to dedicate my efforts to the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem—ensuring its innovative foundations remain performant and builder-friendly for years to come.

Area of interest

• The Core Stack: Directly contributing to the resilience and scalability of the network through runtime engineering (FRAME, governance) and node development/SDK work.
• The Connective Tissue: Enhancing cross-chain communication (XCM) to be more robust and programmable, which is essential for a unified ecosystem.
• The On-Ramp: Leveraging innovations like Pallet Revive to create accessible smart contract capabilities, thereby lowering the barrier to entry for developers and bridging ecosystems.

**Contributions **
Contributions to the Polkadot SDK include the addition of a ProxyApi runtime API to the Proxy pallet, introducing view functions for runtime-specific type configuration to enable on-chain verification of call permissions and proxy-type hierarchies, thereby enhancing proxy management flexibility and security. https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/pull/7320
Further contributions extend the XCM framework with a generic ExternalConsensusLocationsConverterFor struct to facilitate account conversion for external blockchain ecosystems beyond Polkadot's native parachains, broadening the network's interoperability scope and enabling seamless, backward-compatible integration with independent external blockchains. https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/pull/7313

Further contributions include improving the developer experience and tooling efficiency within the ecosystem, I am actively contributing to the foundational JSON-RPC interface. I recently authored and proposed archive_unstable_transactionReceipt, a new RPC method designed to enable efficient, stateless lookup of transaction receipts—eliminating the need for costly full block downloads. This work involves both specification in the json-rpc-interface-spec repository and its subsequent implementation in the polkadot-sdk, directly enhancing the node-level tooling and data accessibility for builders. https://github.com/paritytech/json-rpc-interface-spec/pull/182

Other ongoing contributions include: https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aopen+nathy-bajo

Link to the GitHub profile of the applicant
https://github.com/Nathy-bajo

Polkadot address with a verified on-chain identity
1HXh7kCk2Z9Er4TpqF7TPX6ivSnJTECesp44RP7jnP7RCeL