John Ryter is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), advised by Professor Elsa Olivetti. John works at the intersection of materials, economics, and the environment, modeling supply chains to understand and mitigate the unintended consequences of recycling and other material efficiency strategies. He has studied the regional and global effects of waste trade policy, and is particularly interested in reducing industrial emissions and addressing the inequities associated with material supply chains. His work emphasizes materials required for decarbonization, such as copper and cobalt, due to the conflicts inherent in increasing materials demand alongside the need for eliminating emissions.
John earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Montana State University, and has previously conducted research on solid oxide fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and perovskite solar cells. Outside of research, he advocates for positive change in his department through the Graduate Materials Council and DMSE graduate student working group on diversity, equity, and inclusion. You will also find him hiking, running, climbing, or otherwise enjoying the outdoors.