Ryan was named the William Nachbar endowed chair. William Nachbar was early faculty member of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Prof. Nachbar joined UCSD in 1965 as a professor of applied mechanics. His research focused on structural mechanics and combustion. He retired from UCSD in 1989 and passed away in 2005.

Despite the different research areas, there are some similarities. Both Prof. Nachbar and Ryan moved to UCSD as associate professors from other California universities (Stanford and UCSB, respectively). Prof. Nachbar worked on the first missile designed to be launched underwater. Ryan has done research in underwater systems for communications, robotics, and 3D vision. Prof. Nachbar “loved camping, fly fishing, snorkeling, and Mozart. And he loved his family.” Ryan similarly loves the outdoors, music, and his family.

UCSD Press Release
UCSD CSE Press Release

The great John East visited UCSD to give two lectures. John’s first lecture, “How to Succeed at Whatever You End Up Doing,” imparted knowledge that he has gained over his career to the “Embedded Systems Design Project” class. His second lecture in the Embedded Systems Seminar on “The History of Silicon and Semiconductor” was filled with stories of his long and storied career in Silicon Valley. John uniquely connects with the students and gives sage advice on business, research, and life. His nearly annual UCSD visits are always one of the highlights of my academic year.