Ryan J. Meritt

Professional Role

• President / Chief Scientist, Ahmic Aerospace, Dayton, Ohio

Education

• B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2009
• M.S. Aerospace Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2010
• Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2013

What do you feel your time at Virginia Tech gave you, as you entered the workforce and as you developed your career?

Amongst the many opportunities and lessons Virginia Tech gave me, one that has been absolutely essential is “problem solving.” I accredit this back to my time spent in the Corps of Cadets, Air Force ROTC, aerospace engineering, and graduate school. I was fortunate to have many opportunities to fail and even more to learn and improve. I also had some incredible professors, leaders, and mentors who were kind enough to guide me along the way.

Starting, growing, and running a small business comes with several challenges. As a manager and engineer, I find myself solving problems every day while trying to get ahead of tomorrow’s. One of the biggest obstacles we recently faced as a company was how we would test and evaluate our new aerospace products under operational flight conditions. This is typically accomplished in wind tunnel facilities. However, the available government facilities are expensive and have busy test schedules. To address this, we designed and constructed our own in-house supersonic wind tunnel. It was not easy and it took over a year to achieve, but in the end, it was a solution to a significant problem that we had been facing for years. Now we have the independence and capabilities to test new sensors whenever required. We are already working on plans for a second tunnel to expand our test capabilities to hypersonic (Mach 5+) speeds.

What is your career path since graduating from Virginia Tech Engineering?

I was commissioned into the US Air Force out of college in 2010, at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. I first served as the lead systems engineer on a $100M ACAT III acquisition program where I provided technical expertise to the design, testing, and fielding of vital warfighter flight equipment. Next at AFRL, I helped manage a $10M world-class test facility and conducted in-house research related to scramjet engine performance and operability. It was an incredible experience, and I loved every bit of it.

However, life doesn’t always go as planned. In 2012, I was struck by lightning. The injury led to many long-term health complications and I was ultimately medically discharged from the USAF. It was a physically and psychologically challenging time. I felt as if I had to start all over and redefine my path forward. Above all, I needed to prove to myself that I was not broken and that I could still pursue my passions. So I put all my energy and focus into just that. In 2013, I finished my Ph.D., a lifetime goal.

In 2014, I founded a company called Ahmic Aerospace and never looked back. Ahmic is a research and development company specializing in high-performance instrumentation and measurement techniques. Over the years, Ahmic has grown rapidly from a one-person startup to over $1.5 million in annual revenue. We have built a diverse and talented team of scientists and engineers capable of tackling new research areas in the aerospace defense and commercial markets. In just the last two years, we have tripled our workforce and anticipate similar growth moving forward. It has been a remarkable journey and I am excited to see what comes next!

What recent achievements are you proud of?

I am very proud of a new NASA contract our team has been awarded. Ahmic was recently named 1 of 17 companies to receive the NASA ACO Award to mature industry-developed space technologies for the Moon and beyond. Our company was selected among others, including Aerojet Rocketdyne, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. “The Ohio-based small business Ahmic Aerospace will also mature new thermal protection systems by partnering with NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. Ahmic will use Ames’ Arc Jet Complex to test hardware and collect data about how materials behave under ablative conditions.” This will be Ahmic’s first partnership with NASA, and in many ways, a fulfillment of a childhood dream.

What do you want to contribute with the work you do? What drives you?

I started Ahmic Aerospace with a vision to transform the way aerospace data is collected under challenging flight environments. Since the Wright Brothers first took flight, the world has been fascinated with aviation and how it works. 120 years later, we are still learning and improving this science and technology. Ahmic was one of the first companies to introduce high-accuracy wall shear sensors to the aerospace market. Since then, Ahmic has evolved into a comprehensive research and developmental company. Ahmic now offers a full set of products that can be used to characterize and understand complex flow physics. It is exciting to get up every day to develop new cutting-edge experiments, conduct tests in the wind tunnel, and help invent the tools of tomorrow. 

What is the best part about being a Virginia Tech Engineering alum?

The best part about being a Virginia Tech Engineering alum is the relationship we are able to maintain with the university. Through my company, we have had the opportunity to work extensively with Virginia Tech on many research programs. To date, Ahmic has sponsored nearly $500,000 in research dollars through the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department. As an alum, it’s incredible to give back and work directly with these motivated professors and graduate students. Ahmic’s first employee was also a Hokie and we are always looking for new candidates from Virginia Tech.

What advice do you have for Virginia Tech Engineering students? Is there anything specific you would share with them during these uncertain times of entering the workforce?

Find a career that you love and one that will always challenge you. This may not be the first job you find, but do not give up. Above all else, don’t stop asking questions, especially the question “Why?”. It takes courage to challenge the status quo, but you will be better for it. It is often effortless to describe WHAT a company does, but can one also clearly articulate the purpose, cause, or belief of WHY that company exists? WHY will you go to work every day?