overview

• Dr. Teresa J. Ryan is Professor of Engineering and Chair of the Department of Engineering at East Carolina University. Her research bridges acoustics, structural dynamics, and coastal science, with a focus on how environmental conditions influence sound propagation across sea, air, and land. She has led projects funded by the Office of Naval Research and NC Space Grant, advancing experimental and modeling approaches to long-range atmospheric acoustics, UAV-based sensing, and synthetic aperture acoustic imaging.
  Dr. Ryan's scholarly contributions also extend to the dynamics of complex resonant systems, including MEMS devices, vibration absorbers, and coupled oscillator arrays, with applications ranging from mass detection to acoustic metamaterials. She has secured over $2.3M in external funding as principal investigator and published in top acoustics and applied physics venues.
  A dedicated educator, Dr. Ryan is recognized for innovative teaching that integrates hands-on experimentation, technical communication, and ethics in engineering. She has received numerous honors for teaching excellence, including the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and ECU's Scholar-Teacher Award. Her leadership emphasizes faculty development, student success, and interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly through the Coastal Studies Institute.