Dr. Megan S. Ryerson is an Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning and Electrical and Systems Engineering in the area of Transportation at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010 and her B.Sc. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003.
Dr. Ryerson’s research focuses on the air transportation system from planning and operations of the airside to land use and multimodal planning of the landside. On the airside, Dr. Ryerson investigates the relationship between predictability in operations and airline fuel loading and real-time rerouting strategies after an airport outage. This work is supported by a range of organizations, including airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration. Dr. Ryerson also investigates the role of regional planning agencies, airports, and the FAA in evaluating new airport capacity. On the landside, Dr. Ryerson’s works focuses on airports and economic development and the potential for multi-modal integration with High-speed Rail.
Dr. Ryerson’s work has evaluated the case for turboprops as a low-fuel aircraft choice in short-haul markets; determined the potential for changes in airline operational business practices to reduce fuel consumption; and determined the potential of air traffic management improvements to reduce aviation fuel consumption. Dr. Ryerson is particularly interested in the airline response to High Speed Rail in the U.S. and is a team member/co-PI on numerous Airport Cooperative Research Program studies related to the relationship between air and High Speed Rail in the U.S.