INSIGHTS

Kyle Ryker is the Associate Director of Research for ASSURE, which was named the FAA COE for UAS Research in 2015. He is responsible for developing research teams from the ASSURE alliance to conduct projects at the request of the FAA. In addition, he oversees each project’s overall performance and completion related to the scope of work while building strong connections amongst ASSURE university researchers.

Kyle started his professional research career at Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in 2019. In that role, Kyle led technical execution and program management of several FAA and NASA research efforts. His expertise in Human Factors, Detect-And-Avoid  technology, Safety Management Systems, and aviation regulations guided him to a role as Co-Chair of ASTM International’s DAA Test Methods working group. There, he continues to collaborate with leading industry partners in the development of an international standard for evaluating the performance of a UAS relying on DAA technology to fly Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight safely.

Kyle received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from MSU in Aerospace Engineering in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Kyle received the MSU Research Professional Award in 2023 for his dedication to the development of a student research program at his previous research lab and to expanding the UAS research capabilities of MSU.