Ryan is a Gonzaga University graduate and a former Peace Corps volunteer. He was member of both the Weinberg and the Bahjat labs at the Earl A. Chiles Cancer Center where he focused on basic CD4 and CD8 T cell biology.

He went on to work for the first cell approved cell therapy company, Dendreon, where he managed cell sorting and analytical assay development for clinical trials. In 2011 Ryan joined AgonOx to lead the discovery effort for new immunotherapy targets. This work that led to the identification of CD39 and CD103 as tumor reactive T cells.

With a background in business and lab management he now leads the drug development process as well as overall operations at Agonox.  Ryan was promoted to General Manager in 2014, then to COO in 2022.