Ryan Paul

Ryan Paul is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU). He holds an ORCID identifier (0000-0002-5883-8784) and specializes in flight dynamics, unmanned aircraft systems, aerodynamics, and pilot workload analysis. Prior to academia, he worked as a Flight Dynamics Engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (2015–2020) and served as a Summer Faculty Fellow at Naval Air Systems Command (2022).

Education: Ph.D. (Aerospace Engineering, NC State, 2015), M.S. (Aerospace Engineering, NC State, 2012), B.S. (Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, OSU, 2010). He is a certified Flight Instructor and holds FAA licenses for commercial piloting and remote operation.

Research focuses on flight dynamics simulations, unmanned systems design, aircraft certification, and spatial disorientation assessment. Key projects include work on urban wind impacts on drones, structural optimization for HALE aircraft, and advanced air mobility safety. Over 30 publications span topics like CFD-based aerodynamic modeling, propeller dynamometry, and flight control systems.

• Awards: Edward H. Heinemann Award (2019), Barry Goldwater Scholarship (2009), NSF Graduate Fellowship (2010).
• Teaching: Courses include Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, Aerospace Engineering Lab, and UAS Design/Analysis.
• Grants: Recent funding includes projects on spatial disorientation tools, drone payload capture systems, and autonomy for dynamic missions.

Professional memberships include the Atmospheric Flight Mechanics committee and the Vertical Flight Society. His lab collaborates on projects like the Bellwether flying wing and Formula SAE aerodynamics optimization.