Ryan Bixenmann, PhD, is a Senior Science Officer at the California Council of Science and Technology (CCST). In this role, Ryan connects relevant experts to decision makers who request additional technical information to carry out their mission and better serve Californians. Prior to working at CCST, Ryan was an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation, Division of Graduate Education. As a Policy Fellow, he was part of an interagency taskforce to modernize graduate education and carry out President Obama’s strategic plan for STEM education. In service of the plan and taskforce, Ryan helped create a new interagency graduate internship program that prepared graduate students for diverse career pathways. After the Fellowship, he was the Director for PhD Career Services at Michigan State University, where he developed and implemented a multifaceted approach to raising career awareness and preparedness among doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. Then, as a Policy Analyst and Program Manager with Professional Development Hub (pd|hub), Ryan helped build the organization from an innovative idea to a funded and growing organization that curates graduate professional development resources.
Ryan holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Utah, a B.S. in Biology from Mesa State College, and conducted postdoctoral research at Montana State University. He was an NSF GK-12 Fellow at the University of Utah and an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with the Nevada Conservation Corps. In his spare time, Ryan likes to spend time outdoors, especially mountain biking.