Speaking & Teaching

I speak at technical and earth science conferences about the intersection of software, science, and practical problem-solving. I enjoy breaking down complex systems into ideas people can actually use — whether the audience is engineers, scientists, or leaders figuring out where technology fits in their work.

Speaking & Teaching

I speak at technical and earth science conferences about the intersection of software, science, and practical problem-solving. I enjoy breaking down complex systems into ideas people can actually use — whether the audience is engineers, scientists, or leaders figuring out where technology fits in their work.

Building Things That Matter

I'm drawn to problems I've experienced firsthand — and not just my own. At NASA, I build tools that help scientists study our planet. When website builders felt overpriced and overcomplicated, I built Siimple. When I needed a better way to track revenue and expenses, I built Otis. When scientists needed easier access to research resources, I co-founded Science Exchange. My approach is straightforward: if something should exist and doesn't, I'll build it.

Building Things That Matter

I'm drawn to problems I've experienced firsthand — and not just my own. At NASA, I build tools that help scientists study our planet. When website builders felt overpriced and overcomplicated, I built Siimple. When I needed a better way to track revenue and expenses, I built Otis. When scientists needed easier access to research resources, I co-founded Science Exchange. My approach is straightforward: if something should exist and doesn't, I'll build it.

Engineering at Scale

As Systems Architect at NASA, I keep critical applications running and prepare them for whatever comes next. Before that, I built ad-tech at Waymark, led engineering at Science Exchange, and shipped products across a range of industries. I care about software that works reliably, scales when it needs to, and doesn't confuse the people using it.

Engineering at Scale

As Systems Architect at NASA, I keep critical applications running and prepare them for whatever comes next. Before that, I built ad-tech at Waymark, led engineering at Science Exchange, and shipped products across a range of industries. I care about software that works reliably, scales when it needs to, and doesn't confuse the people using it.

About Ryan

I've spent the last 20 years building software — sometimes for large organizations, sometimes for myself, always with the goal of solving a problem worth solving.

Right now, I'm a Systems Architect at NASA through Element 84, where I oversee the applications that support the Search & Discovery mission. It's work that directly helps scientists study and understand our planet, and I take that responsibility seriously. I focus on making these systems more resilient, adopting the right new technologies, and ensuring they're ready to grow as the mission evolves.

Before NASA, I co-founded Science Exchange, a Y Combinator-backed marketplace that connected researchers with the scientific services they needed. As CTO, I built the platform from the ground up, and we earned support from some of the top VCs in Silicon Valley. I also worked at Waymark, where I wrote the Python systems that managed Facebook ad budgets — a deceptively tricky problem involving real money and unpredictable platform behavior.

Outside of my primary work, I build tools through Lateral Ventures — my personal studio for acting on ideas. Siimple is a website builder born from frustration with how expensive and complicated the alternatives are. Otis handles financial tracking for small operators who just want to know what they're earning. These aren't vanity projects — they exist because I needed them, and I figured other people probably did too.

I also enjoy speaking at conferences, particularly in the earth science and technical communities. I like the challenge of making complex topics accessible, and I find that teaching sharpens my own understanding.

My Experience

A few of the places and projects that have shaped how I think about building software.

  1. Co-Founder, CEO

    I started Siimple because website builders had gotten expensive and unnecessarily complicated. Siimple takes a different approach — professional sites without the bloat, at a price that makes sense. It's a side project that I keep building because the problem hasn't gone away.

  2. Systems Architect

    I oversee the applications behind NASA's Search & Discovery mission — keeping them running, modernizing them where it matters, and building new tools that help scientists tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our planet. It's collaborative, cross-team work with real stakes — the kind of engineering I find most rewarding.

  3. Element 84

    Element 84 is where my NASA work lives — one of their core values is that "our work benefits the world," which is a big part of what drew me there. They partner with scientific, government, and commercial organizations to build practical, mission-driven software, and I work alongside engineers who genuinely care about getting things right.

  4. YCombinator S11

    Science Exchange went through Y Combinator's Summer 2011 batch, which gave us seed funding, mentorship, and a network that shaped how I think about building products. The program pushed us to iterate fast, validate constantly, and focus on what actually matters to users. It was a turning point.

  5. Co-Founder, CTO

    I co-founded Science Exchange to make it easier for researchers to access scientific services — a problem I saw firsthand. As CTO, I built the platform, shaped the technical strategy, grew the engineering team, and worked to keep our technology tightly aligned with what our users actually needed. We were backed by Y Combinator and several leading Silicon Valley VCs.

  6. Otis, Founder

    I built Otis because I needed a simple way to track income and expenses across my projects. Forward your Stripe payouts and receipts, and Otis sorts them automatically — revenue, expenses, and what you keep. No spreadsheets, no accounting software, just clarity.

  7. Lateral Ventures, Founder

    My personal studio for building the tools I need and the systems I want to understand. Lateral Ventures is the umbrella for my independent projects — Siimple, Otis, and whatever comes next.