About
Welcome! I’m Ryan Shaffer. I currently work on Amazon Braket, a fully managed quantum computing service on AWS that provides access to state-of-the-art quantum simulators and quantum computing hardware from leading companies such as IonQ, IQM, QuEra, and Rigetti. My career spans over 15 years at leading tech companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon, where I’ve been fortunate to be a part of world-class teams in software engineering and applied science.
My academic foundation is in physics, computer science, electrical engineering, and management, and with this cross-disciplinary background I strive to bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical applications.
Stay connected by following me on LinkedIn or exploring my projects on GitHub.
Industry Experience
| Role | Company | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Science Manager, Amazon Braket | Amazon Web Services | 2022–Present |
| Software Engineer, News Feed | 2021–2022 | |
| Software Engineer, Azure Quantum | Microsoft | 2020–2021 |
| Software Engineering Manager, Office | Microsoft | 2014–2018 |
| Software Engineer, SharePoint | Microsoft | 2008–2014 |
| Software Engineering Intern, Office | Microsoft | 2006–2007 |
Education
| Degree | Field | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Physics Ph.D. Thesis: Efficient and trusted operation of quantum computers and quantum simulators |
University of California, Berkeley | 2022 |
| M.S. | Engineering and Management M.S. Thesis: Why software firms build hardware, and what Microsoft is doing about it |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2015 |
| M.S. | Computer Science concentration in Computer Security |
Boston University | 2011 |
| B.S. | Electrical Engineering concentration in Computer Engineering |
Grove City College | 2008 |
Research Experience
| Role | Organization | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Student Researcher | OVER-QC Group, Sandia National Labs | 2021–2022 |
| Graduate Student Researcher | Häffner Ion Trap Group, UC Berkeley | 2017–2022 |
| Research Assistant | Engineering Systems Division, MIT | 2014 |
Teaching and Mentoring Experience
| Role | Organization | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Member of Advisory Board | Unitary Foundation | 2024-Present |
| Instructor and Mentor | Qubit by Qubit, The Coding School | 2022-Present |
| Graduate Student Instructor | Physics Department, UC Berkeley | 2019 |
| Teaching Assistant | Physics and Engineering Departments, Grove City College | 2005–2007 |
Awards and Fellowships
| Description | Organization | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum Information Science & Engineering Network (QISE-NET) Fellow | National Science Foundation | 2021–2022 |
| National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow | US Department of Defense | 2017–2021 |
| Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor in Physics | UC Berkeley | 2019 |
| System Design and Management Fellow | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2012–2015 |
| Science and Engineering Day Applied Science Award | Boston University | 2011 |
| Roger Clark Dawes Engineering Award | Grove City College | 2008 |