Ryan B. Sills started his engineering career in high school when he tried to build an off-road go-kart in his father’s shop. While the go-kart was never completed (which was probably for the best), it did motivate him to go on and study mechanical engineering at Cornell University, with a keen interest in designing and fabricating engineering systems. Trading mud tires for racing slicks, he was very active in the Formula SAE engineering project team at Cornell, where he contributed to design and fabrication of a racecar each year and served as Chief Engineer in his senior year. Over the course of his time as an undergraduate, his interest in mechanics of materials slowly grew. After completing his BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2009, he decided to go on and pursue a Master’s degree to try his hand at materials research at the University of Michigan, where he studied under Michael Thouless. His research focus was fracture modeling of layered materials considering length scales and toughening mechanisms. This experience revealed to him his love for research and materials modeling.
Ryan then went on to join the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA in 2010, where he wore many hats. As a mechanical engineer, Ryan designed, prototyped, and tested systems for storage and transfer of high-pressure gases. He also oversaw design definition and production of pressure vessels, valves, and related components. As a researcher and principal investigator, he conducted research on fracture, embrittlement, and damage in materials and led a research program on material aging. During his time at Sandia, Ryan was awarded a fellowship under Sandia’s Doctoral Study Program, which enabled him to complete his PhD at Stanford University under the supervision of Wei Cai. Through his PhD studies, Ryan solidified his expertise in dislocation theory, plasticity modeling, and thermodynamics of materials.
After completing his PhD in 2016, Ryan continued his role as a Staff member at Sandia until joining the MSE faculty at Rutgers in 2019. At Rutgers, Ryan continues to expand his research horizons in terms of modeling techniques and material classes of study. He enjoys interacting with the passionate and engaged students in the Rutgers community who push him to be a better advisor and instructor.
As a hobbyist, Ryan plays drums and enjoys the outdoors. During his time in California, he was a drummer in several bands, playing many live shows and recording and releasing music. He is a proud husband and father of two sons.