Dr Ryan's area of expertise is commercial equity, in particular the liability of third parties to a breach of trust. Her current research explores the relationship between new technologies, social trust, and the law. Dr Ryan's students learn how to design legal apps for social justice projects and for use in professional practice. Dr Ryan is a member of the Standards Australia Technical Committee for Blockchain (IT-041) and chairs its Smart Contracts working group. Her most recent publication is 'Trust and Distrust in Digital Economies' (Routledge, 2019).