Dr. Ryan F

Research Mentor

Ryan supports the students he mentors through cutting-edge, active learning methodologies. Students learn to leverage emerging AI tools, such as Google Colab, to write powerful Python code, even without prior programming experience. They also gain experience analyzing publicly available datasets and conducting independent literature reviews aligned with their interests.

Location:
San Francisco, California

Education:
Ph.D. Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Michigan
B.A. Physics, Mathematics, Wheaton College

Bio:
Dr. Ryan is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Previously, Dr. Ryan worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Multiphase Gas Group at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. Dr. Ryan earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Michigan. During his PhD, Dr. Ryan won numerous competitive awards, including being selected as a Visiting Scholar for the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University’s Prospects in Theoretical Physics program and as a Graduate Research Fellow for the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara. Furthermore, Dr. Ryan is the Founder & CEO of a cybersecurity firm, specializing in quantum-resistant encryption applications.

Dr. Ryan is a world-renowned expert in computational astrophysics, particularly in the context of galaxy formation & evolution. He has been awarded over 100 million CPU-hours on the world’s most powerful supercomputers and is a co-investigator on a James Webb Space Telescope proposal accepted for Cycle 4. Dr. Ryan has instructed over a thousand students in introductory physics and astronomy courses. His previous research students (many of whom began with zero previous coding experience) have published in professional astrophysics journals, won top awards at ISEF fairs, and been accepted both to leading undergraduate programs across the globe, including Oxford & Cambridge, as well as top-notch PhD programs.

Dr. Ryan’s students have covered diverse topics, including developing bleeding-edge prototypes to advance robotic exploration of Mars, studying the evolution of supernova blast waves in the interstellar medium, researching the accretion of gas by black holes, investigating the evolution of star-forming fuel in galaxies, etc. Dr. Ryan is an experienced research mentor, who knows how to effectively supervise students towards publication. He has mentored students from ages 11-77, including Google engineers.

Research Focus:   

  • Searching for life in the cosmos
  • Black Holes, Supernovae, Cosmic Rays
  • Galaxy Formation & Evolution
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics, (Magneto) hydrodynamics
  • AI/ML & Quantum Computing
  • Encryption & Cybersecurity

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