Experience

Experience#

Ryan C. Cooper, Ph.D.#

https://cooperrc.github.io GitHub: @cooperrc LinkedIn: Ryan C. Cooper

Education#

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering — Columbia University 2014 M.Phil., Mechanical Engineering — Columbia University 2012 M.S., Mechanical Engineering — Columbia University 2012 B.S., Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics — Drexel University 2008

Profile#

Engineer and engineering educator specializing in Python and Julia scientific computing, open‑source collaboration, and student‑centered pedagogy. Active contributor in community‑governed open-source ecosystems (NumPy, Jupyter, nanoHUB). Experienced working across distributed teams, mentoring novice contributors, and completing complex technical work under uncertainty. Builder of open learning environments that emphasize transparency, iteration, and help‑seeking as core practices.

Core Strengths#

  • Learning in the open: Creator of six open-access Jupyter Book textbooks; advocate for reproducible, community-owned scientific computing.

  • Student-centered mentorship: Emphasis on iterative projects, structured autonomy, and building learner confidence. Scaling mentorship work to hundreds of students each semester.

  • Collaborative, distributed teamwork: Experienced with global FOSS contributors, academic–industry teams, and multi-stakeholder decision-making.

  • Technical depth (Python & Julia): Strong computational modeling, data workflows, scientific software, and educational tooling.

  • Navigating uncertainty: Proven ability to define problems and manage work. and ask for help early when tasks are ambiguous.

  • Communication: Skilled technical writer, invited speaker, and developer of faculty and student professional development programs.

Professional Experience#

Director of Faculty Development#

University of Connecticut — College of Engineering (2025–Present)

  • Build open, community-focused learning ecosystems using JupyterHub, GitHub, and open-source workflows.

  • Lead school-wide initiatives on inclusive pedagogy, AI literacy, and transparent computational practices.

  • Manage JupyterHub infrastructure supporting 200+ users across courses and research teams.

  • Facilitate cross-department collaboration to integrate open educational resources (OER).

Associate Professor-in-Residence, Mechanical Engineering#

University of Connecticut (2016–Present)

  • Developed 100+ Jupyter notebooks and multiple Jupyter Book OERs for experiential mechanics and computation courses.

  • Designed hybrid and online learning models combining YouTube streaming, GitHub workflows, Python, and Julia.

  • Partnered with Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, and ORNL on applied projects and student design teams.

  • Foster a classroom culture centered on help‑seeking, collaborative iteration, and learning in the open.

Open Source Experience Course: Instructor#

Graduate Scientific Computing

  • Designed a project-based FOSS in collaboration with open-source developers and developer relations advocates.

  • Guided students contributing to real scientific computing FOSS projects, learning community norms, governance, PR workflows, and distributed collaboration.

  • Mentored students in navigating ambiguity, communicating asynchronously, and managing contributions effectively.

Technical Writer: Google Season of Docs#

NumPy Project (2020)

  • Contributed PRs, issues, documentation improvements, and tutorial content within a globally distributed team.

  • Participated in community calls, mentored newcomers, and engaged in Slack discussions with maintainers.

  • Demonstrated strong self-directed work habits while collaborating across time zones in a community-governed project.

  • Recruited four undergraduate students to contribute PRs to NumPy Tutorials

Postdoctoral Research Scientist#

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2014–2016)

  • Led materials characterization and modeling research involving additive manufacturing and complex material behavior.

  • Developed MATLAB and Python tools for image correlation and mechanical analysis.

  • Organized professional development events and collaborated with multidisciplinary research teams.

Ph.D. Researcher: Small Scale Mechanics Laboratory#

Columbia University (2008–2014)

  • Built constitutive models for 2D materials and fabricated nanoscale mechanical test platforms.

  • Managed SEM and nanoindenter facilities; supported a diverse user community.

  • Award-winning TA with a student-centered, inquiry-driven mentoring style.

Selected Teaching & Mentorship#

  • ME3256W Data‑Driven Decisions: Writing-intensive Python course emphasizing open notebooks, transparency, and iterative project work.

  • Maintain three fully online courses scoring 100% on the Quality Matters rubric.

  • Mentor senior design teams collaborating with multiple industry stakeholders on complex, ambiguous problems.

  • Frequent invited speaker on AI in engineering education, open-source pedagogy, and scientific computing (SciPy, JupyterCon, NumPy newcomer events).

Open-Source & Community Contributions#

  • Contributor to NumPy documentation, tutorials, PR reviews, issues, and Slack discussions.

  • nanoHUB collaborator creating open-access computational mechanics learning modules.

  • Maintainer of multiple Jupyter Book OERs used in engineering dynamics, advanced dynamics, and applied measurements.

  • Experienced in community governance, onboarding newcomers, and coordinating contributions across time zones.

Technical Skills#

Languages & Tools: Python, Julia, NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, Jupyter, JupyterHub, Jupyter Book, Git/GitHub, MATLAB, Bash, Ansys, Abaqus, SolidWorks, LaTeX, Sphinx, Linux, C/C++, Fortran, LabVIEW.

Selected Funding & Recognition#

  • PI, nanoHUB Champion – Computational Mechanics OER (2024).

  • PI, Sociotechnical Framework for Engineering Communication (2024).

  • PI, UConn Career Center Faculty Fellow – NACE Competencies (2023).

  • Google Season of Docs Fellow – NumPy Documentation (2021).

  • First Place, MRS Materials Hackathon (2015).

  • Outstanding Service Award, Oak Ridge Postdoctoral Association.

  • Extraordinary Teaching Assistant Award, Columbia University.

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