Ryan Y. Manley
I'm an Electrical Engineering student at Purdue University working at the intersection of nanophotonics, 2D atomic materials, optical instrumentation, and quantum technologies — from synthesizing anisotropic single crystals and mapping visible-frequency hyperbolic polaritons at Birck Nanotechnology Center, to engineering room-temperature optical quantum sensing microscopes at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I also serve as President of QSO of Purdue (500+ members), Purdue Representative on the Midwest Quantum Collaboratory Student Task Force, and Executive Board Member of the global non-profit Quantum Coalition.
Purdue University · West Lafayette, IN
Elmore Family School of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Researching the Future of Materials & Devices
The most compelling frontier in photonics sits at the boundary where light stops behaving like a wave and starts behaving like something stranger — squeezed into atomic-scale volumes, coupled to the quantum states of individual layers of matter, and guided by symmetry rules we are only beginning to understand.
My research lives here. Working across Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I grow anisotropic 2D crystals, map their hyperbolic polariton modes with scattering-type near-field optics, and build the precision instruments needed to probe them — connecting the physics of confined light to the engineering of next-generation photonic and electro-optic devices.
Quantum Student Organization
500+ member student community, hardware teams & hackathons
Teaching QSO quantum password hacking using Grover's Algorithm
Crash course on quantum search, oracles, and amplitude amplification
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Empowering the Next Generation of Quantum Leaders
The hardest problems in photonics and quantum science rarely yield to a single discipline. Progress emerges at the intersection — when physicists talk to engineers, when undergraduates inherit real problems from national laboratories, when a community forms around shared curiosity rather than shared credit.
That belief drives my work beyond the lab. As President of QSO of Purdue, Purdue Representative to the Midwest Quantum Alliance, and a board member of the Quantum Coalition global non-profit, I build the bridges — workshops, hackathons, intercollegiate programs — that give students early access to the frontier.
Superconducting Levitation & Cryogenics
Demonstrating magnetic levitation & cryogenics with liquid nitrogen for student outreach
Purdue Quantum & STEM Open House
Guiding interactive demonstrations and mentoring future scientists
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Engineering Tangible Quantum Hardware & Open Systems
The instruments that drive photonics research — precision optics, nano-positioning stages, near-field probes — are extraordinary objects. They are also, typically, inaccessible. When cutting-edge tools are locked behind seven-figure price tags, entire fields of inquiry become gatekept by geography and institutional wealth.
I build to change that. My engineering projects translate the physics and optics I study in the lab into open-source hardware platforms — motorized quantum demonstration rigs, precision kinematic assemblies, and materials analysis software — designed from the ground up to be reproducible and accessible.
DIRECTORY
Site Map
Explore dedicated pages for laboratory research, engineering projects, publications, academic honors, community leadership, and background.
Research →
5 labs · 2D materials, quantum sensing, crystal growth
Projects →
Bloch sphere, quantum microscope, CrysTool Hub
Publications →
TMS oral talk, SURF honors paper, ECE technical report
Awards →
OQI Fellow, Outstanding Sophomore, Qualcomm Scholar
Community →
QSO President, MQC Purdue Rep, Quantum Coalition Exec
About →
Background, gallery, piano, Exeter → Purdue