Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Ryan has studied at UT since 2016, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Anthropology in 2020 and his Master’s degree (MA) in Educational Psychology in 2022. He advanced to candidacy (PhD) in mid-2024, and is a Doctoral Research Affiliate at the National Disability Center for Student Success.

Ryan specializes in Human Development, Culture, and Learning Sciences. His research interests include advancing equity and academic success for disabled and first-generation students. Previous research from Ryan’s Master’s Report investigates contextual factors influencing the sense of belonging for Latine students. He also was a co-investigator for the First-Gen CORE: Cultivating Opportunities, Resources, and Equity  project, which leveraged first-generation student voices in a series of focus groups to identify structural supports needed to facilitate greater inclusion of this underrepresented population in higher education.

As a disabled student, Ryan’s research highlight and address the need for access and equity in higher education. Led by Dr. Stephanie W. Cawthon, Ryan served as the Project Coordinator for the Microsoft + UT Collaborative for Access & Equity, a pilot community learning model that allowed disabled students to partner with faculty in order to better understand the components and strategies necessary for accessible course design and content delivery.

In August 2023, Ryan joined the Leadership Team of the National Disability Center for Student Success as the Coordinator of Student Partnerships. As a program manager, he oversaw the mentoring of student fellows by the National Disability Center Faculty Cadre, and participated in several of the center’s research activities. He continues his involvement in 2024-2025 as a Doctoral Research Affiliate managing multiple projects on disability and student life in the US.

Ryan has previously worked for the Strategic Academic Initiatives program within the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. He assisted with the campus-wide rollout of Ally, an application integrated within the university Learning Management System (LMS) Canvas that boosts the accessibility of uploaded course content and provides alternative formats of files for students with specific learning needs and/or preferences.

Ryan is also an active member within Dr. Marie-Anne Suizzo’s Research on Education, Adolescent, & Child Development (REACH) lab in the Department of Educational Psychology. He has a co-authored two studies (currently under review) investigating the role of parent-child communication in processes of academic socialization.