Zoë Hitzig

She developed and published empirical research on donor behavior and the results of quadratic financing, proposing validation and testing methodologies that Gitcoin applied in pilot grant rounds. The work included simulations, statistical analysis of contribution distribution, and recommendations for donor qualification thresholds and minimum amounts. She collaborated with development teams to recommend specific monitoring metrics and smoothing variants to reduce the impact of large donors and sybil bots. These recommendations were translated into practical tests and configurations for smart contract and off-chain logic, enabling Gitcoin to significantly improve the accuracy of match calculations and the resilience of the mechanism against manipulation. The implemented changes based on her research included experimental matching settings and data structures for verifying contributors, which influenced fund distribution and the willingness of institutional sponsors to finance large matching pools. Such applied scientific contribution played a key role in the platform's adoption and adaptation of the quadratic model.