Ryan is a marine ecologist, conservationist, and university lecturer. He has been involved in a variety of marine research and conservation projects and programs focused on fisheries management, marine mammal ecology, MPA science, endangered species management, and socio-ecology of fisheries harvest. He has conducted work around the world in places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Madagascar, Gabon, and Ghana. He joined his first Pristine Seas expedition in 2017 to Tristan da Cunha. He has a master’s degree from Humboldt State University with research focused on cetacean foraging ecology in the NE Pacific and a Ph.D. from University of California Davis – San Diego State University exploring spatial variation in predator-prey dynamics on temperate rocky reefs.