As the Vice President of Product for Zap Energy, Ryan is developing the go-to-market strategy for cost-effective fusion energy. After completing his PhD in Applied Science (Plasma Physics), Ryan served for 20 years in the Air Force as a scientist, professor, program manager, and technology acquisition officer. Prior to transitioning to the private sector, he also served at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy where he helped prepare breakthrough energy technologies for transition from the lab to customers within the Department of Defense. During his last year at ARPA-E, he was the Deputy Director for Commercialization, responsible for oversight of 11 tech-to-market advisors and the hands-on management provided to 300+ project teams for a $250M/yr research and development portfolio.