Dr Ryan MacDonald Speaker | Technology & Science

Dr Ryan MacDonald

"Where are the aliens?"

Dr Ryan MacDonald is a leading astrophysicist focused on the search for life on planets around other stars. He is a Lecturer in Extrasolar Planets at the University of St Andrews, where he uses NASA's space telescopes to study planets around our galaxy.

Dr MacDonald leads several observing programmes using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to explore alien worlds, ranging from inferno ultra-hot giant planets to temperature rocky planets in the habitable zone. His ultimate goal is to find signs of alien life beyond Earth.

Before joining St Andrews, Dr MacDonald was a NASA Sagan Fellow at the University of Michigan and a Research Associate at Cornell University's Carl Sagan Institute. He obtained his PhD at the University of Cambridge, a MPhys from the University of Oxford, and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Testimonials from Teachers

"Ryan was absolutely amazing! We would definitely like him to come back and speak again."

– Sarah Sword, Deputy Headteacher, Newstead Wood School

"A huge thank you on behalf of Hill House for all you did on the day you visited. I know our 6^th form enjoyed their little chat with you and your evening talk went down as a huge hit. The children have been raving about it, the staff loved it and parents too thoroughly enjoyed themselves."

– Jo Chappell, Hill House School

"I’d like to offer a big thank you from Nova for your presentation on Wednesday. The students and staff who heard you speak, Ryan, were intrigued by what you had to say, both above science and your own personal journey. They were particularly fascinated by the fact you’d be on a one way journey. Good luck with the rest of your selection process. We’d love to hear how you get on in the next stages."

– Nick Wells, Headteacher, Nova Hreod Academy

“Ryan instantly had the undivided attention of all the students and adults alike. The media present remarked about Ryan's natural charisma. Ryan was humorous, approachable, humble, and knowledgeable - the perfect attributes for a highly engaging speaker.”

– Mitch Champagne, Teacher, St. Alphonsus Catholic Elementary School, Ontario, Canada

“Ryan MacDonald is a highly intelligent and inspiring young man who has proven himself to be an excellent speaker. As one of our college alumni, he recently spoke as a keynote speaker at our annual college awards evening at Nottingham Trent University to a group of around 500 students, parents, staff and guests. His speech was very motivational and inspiring to our students and guests, and we had a lot of positive feedback from those present. Ryan’s own personal story and academic career/research are both highly inspiring and extremely interesting. The possibility that he may one day be one of the very first people on Mars is incredibly awe-inspiring and really highlights the huge potential of studying sciences to young people. He is able to connect ably with young people and inspire them with both his vast scientific expertise and his excellent presentation style.”

– Simon Holland, IB Programme Manager and Geography Teacher, Bilborough College

“Ryan gave talks to both our year 7 and year 11 and 12 pupils. Both sets were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed his presentations. Staff came too, and described his talks as “inspirational, warm, open and hugely enjoyable.”

– Hannah Weller, Physics Teacher, The Ecclesbourne School