Ryan has worked for over twenty years in water resources in the Tropics, Pacific Northwest, and the Arctic. Throughout those years, he has worked as a consultant, academic, tribal non-governmental organization staff, and now with the federal government. His current position with the US Geological Survey, Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, includes interdisciplinary research and application that involves investigating environmental change, hydrological modeling and community-based research that integrates Indigenous Knowledge, social, water and soils science. Over the past 10 years, Ryan has been working with a team of communities and researchers that use citizen science, community-based research, and hydrological methods to investigate how permafrost dynamics influence biogeochemical fluxes of small and large rivers within Alaska and Yukon. Ryan has consistently supported student internships while producing publications, community reports, conference presentations and other tools to improve science communication from researchers and community collaborators. Ryan has also demonstrated a commitment to improving the USGS by participating in multiple Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility efforts.
The Arctic Rivers project is a good fit for Ryan because it is trying to understand how changes in climate might be affecting water quality, fish, and winter travel. Within the project, he also believes that combining Indigenous and local knowledge observations and needs provides a powerful planning tool for Native and Aboriginal communities throughout the Arctic.