Ryan Butler
2025 AAS SciAct Affiliate
Affiliate bio
I'm grateful to have this opportunity to enhance my outreach and science communication skills, and to bring that knowledge back to Rochester.
Ryan Butler
PhD Candidate
Rochester Institute of Technology
Ryan Butler is a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics at Rochester Institute of Technology. He leads outreach initiatives at his university and in his local community, driven by a passion for inclusive science engagement. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Ryan credits his early exposure to science camps and museums for sparking his path in astronomy - an opportunity he now strives to extend to underserved populations. His research focuses on identifying nearby young stars using their motion and properties, but his broader mission is to transform public interaction with astronomical data. Through innovative virtual reality tools, Ryan is making complex, large-scale datasets more intuitive and accessible, helping bridge the gap between scientific research and public understanding.