Earth system science graduate turns football Saturdays into research that puts fans first

Every sporting event tells two stories.

One unfolds on the field. The other unfolds in the stands.

While most people are watching the action, Brandon Ryan is watching the crowd. He’s looking for shade, water stations and people quietly heading for cooler places long before the event is over.

Those moments didn’t just catch his attention. They became his dissertation.

As Ryan prepares to graduate this August with a doctorate in earth system science from Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM), he’ll leave with more than a degree. Four years of studying how extreme heat affects people at outdoor sporting events, particularly in and around Jordan-Hare Stadium, have changed the way he experiences every game.

His interdisciplinary research combines atmospheric science, geography and climate science to better understand how environmental conditions affect people and how communities respond.

“I’m not just writing papers,” Ryan said. “A lot of times we do great research that kind of just stays here (in academia). I want to get it to the people who can take it and run with it.”

Finding his place

Ryan’s path to Auburn wasn’t exactly what he expected.

Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, he dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. He loved sea otters, conservation and spending time outdoors. Those experiences confirmed that science wasn’t just something he enjoyed. It was something he wanted to dedicate his career to.

He arrived in Auburn in 2020 to pursue a master’s degree after discovering a funded opportunity focused on climate research. Originally, the plan was simple: earn his degree and move on.

Instead, he found a community that made him want to stay.

“For two years, especially with one of them mainly being online, I didn’t really feel like I got to be here,” Ryan said. “I’ve met some of my best friends here; it’s been a pretty incredible experience.”

He continued into Auburn’s interdisciplinary doctoral program in earth system science, where students from multiple disciplines work together to solve complex environmental challenges.

“The people really make Auburn what it is,” Ryan said.

Growing beyond the classroom

Research wasn’t the only thing that changed Ryan’s time at Auburn.

When he arrived during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitra remembers a graduate student who was quiet and reserved.

Over the next several years, she watched him transform.

“He grew into someone who believed he could make a difference,” Mitra said.

Ryan’s research taught him to pay attention to people. His work as a Graduate School 1887 Society Ambassador gave him a chance to meet them.

As an ambassador, Ryan welcomed prospective students and incoming graduate students, represented Auburn at university events and shared the graduate student experience with visitors and families. The role gave him another way to build the same sense of community that convinced him to stay at Auburn.

He also presented his research at national conferences, competed in the Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis competition and even found himself featured on The Weather Channel during an Auburn football game, explaining his Jordan-Hare Stadium heat sensor research.

Outside the classroom, Ryan filled his time with baseball games, trivia nights and theater performances and exploring anything that sounded interesting.

“I think the biggest thing I learned being down here was just to try new things,” Ryan said. “Go talk to people. Go meet people. Even if it’s just for that event, you can still have a good time.”