From biologist to inventor, artist to musician, Ryan Carney’s diverse background has been driven by a passion for the arts and sciences. As a child growing up in rural Minnesota, Ryan developed a love for the natural world around him, along with dinosaurs and animation. These interests led him to pursue degrees in art, biology, public health, and business from Yale, Brown, and UC Berkeley. Ryan has also interned at Google, led a statewide disease surveillance program in California, and fronted a punk band on Warped Tour.

Ryan is an Assistant Professor of Digital Science at the University of South Florida. He uses innovative 3D technologies to research and teach about dinosaurs and diseases, from Archaeopteryx to Zika. His work brings flying dinosaurs "back to life" using X-ray imaging, computer animation, and virtual and augmented reality. Using AI and GIS, he also develops digital tools for the next-generation surveillance and control of mosquito-borne diseases.
 
Ryan's research has been published in Nature and featured in The New York Times and popular science books, and his art and science have appeared in issues of National Geographic Magazine. He is a National Geographic Explorer, and recipient of the Emerging Explorer Award, which recognizes "uniquely gifted and inspiring scientists, conservationists, storytellers and innovators who are changing the world."