Hi, I’m Ryan. I am a planetary scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center. I write code to help planetary scientists do better science, I use geomorphology and spectroscopy to understand past conditions on Mars, and I’m passionate about communicating science to everyone.

As a science team member for ChemCam on the Curiosity rover and SuperCam on the Perseverance rover, I get to shoot rocks on Mars with lasers to figure out what they’re made of. I lead the efforts to do that more accurately using multivariate regression algorithms.

For more details about my work, please see my Research and CV pages.

I’m also a writer. I find “other worlds” fascinating, whether they’re distant planets, the ancient past, or fictional realms. I often organize my thoughts by writing, so check the blog to see what’s on my mind.