He received degrees in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University (B.S.E, 1999) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (Ph.D., 2004), and was a post-doctoral fellow in Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University from 2004-2005. His group’s research covers a variety of topics in polymers and soft materials, with a particular focus on thin films and interfaces. Recent areas of interest include swelling-induced deformation of constrained and micro-patterned stimuli-responsive gels, and solution state self-assembly of polymer and particle-based nanostructures. Ryan has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, the 2011 ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry Unilever Award, and the 2013 Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award.