Ryan currently consults with the World Bank's Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning team in the Education Global Practice. Ryan also serves an education researcher for UNESCO-IIEP, the Global Partnership for Education, and the UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti. In these roles, Ryan contributes to mixed-methods research in the areas of foundational learning, education financing, and education planning. Prior to working with such agencies, Ryan taught and managed education programs in Kenya and South Africa. Ryan holds a master's degree in Education Policy and Analysis from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Development Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Bowdoin College.