OUR PEOPLE

Ryan Harne

Ph.D.

Mechanical Engineering

Manager

Atlanta

Office: +1-678-412-4834

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Academic Credentials

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2012
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2008

Academic Appointments

James F. Will Career Development Professor, Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 2020-2023.
Professor, Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2015-2020.
Postdoctoral Scientist, University of Michigan, 2012-2015.

Professional Honors

2023 U.S. Air Force Research Lab Faculty Fellowship. RXAS Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, WPAFB, OH. May 2023.
Invited speaker for the 2023 SPIE Smart Structures & Non-Destructive Evaluation Conference. Long Beach, CA. March 2023.
Featured in ASME Magazine Article "If It Only Had A Brain", November 2022, highlighting research accomplishments in the development of materials that think.
Invited speaker for the 2022 Gordon Research Conference "Imparting Intelligence in and Through Self-Learning Materials and Structures". Ventura, CA. September 2022.
Invited speaker for the 2022 National Academy of Engineering China-America Frontiers of Engineering Conference. Irvine, CA. July 2022.
2021 U.S. Air Force Research Lab Faculty Fellowship. RXAS Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, WPAFB, OH. May 2021.
2020 ASME CD Mote Jr. Early Career Award. August 2020.
2019 ASME Gary Anderson Early Achievement Award. September 2019.
2019 U.S. Air Force Research Lab Faculty Fellowship. RXAS Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, WPAFB, OH. March 2019.
Invitation to participate in the ARO Workshop on "Meta‐structures: Dynamics, Topology and Related Opportunities". May 2018.
National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. March 2018.
Recognized by the ASME as a "Newsmaker" for the Society. October 2017. https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/society-news/asme-news/newsmakers
Invitation to participate in the NSF Workshop on "Acoustics: New Fundamentals and Applications". October 2017.
2017 U.S. Air Force Research Lab Faculty Fellowship. RQHF Hypersonic Sciences Branch, Aerospace Systems Directorate, WPAFB, OH. May 2017.
2017 ASME Best Paper Award in Structures and Structural Dynamics.
2016 ASME Haythornthwaite Young Investigator Award, facilitated by the Applied Mechanics Division. October 2016.
Royal invitation to present "Energy-Generating Mechanical Trees" before H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and His Excellency Bernard Fautrier, Vice President and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation at The Ohio State University. August 2016.

Professional Affiliations

Member 000100143950, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2011-present
Member 1239916, Acoustical Society of America (ASA), 2010-11, 2016-present
Member 3438137, International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), 2013-present

Dr. Harne is renown for his background in vibration, acoustics, and the design and operation of diverse mechanical systems. He has led numerous teams in the development, diagnosis, and qualification of products and platforms often involving vibrations or waves as an integral function or byproduct of operation. From ultrasound-based medical devices; to nonlinear shockwave propagation; to vibration-induced noise, fatigue, and failure; to data analysis, signal processing, and artificial intelligence; and beyond, Dr. Harne has over 11 years of experience correlating the symptoms with causes of vibration-, acoustics-, and mechanical design-based challenges throughout engineering applications and proposing successful solution.

Dr. Harne also has unique expertise at the intersection of technology commercialization and business development. Having patents that have led to commercial licenses and startups in the hard-tech space, Dr. Harne understands the hurdles and risks involved in entrepreneurship and carving out one's space in a competitive market. Dr. Harne is a natural go-to for clients who aim to secure and protect sound commercial ideas and intellectual property.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Harne was a professor of mechanical engineering at The Pennsylvania State University (2020 to 2023) and at The Ohio State University (2015 to 2020), where he led teams, large and small, in fundamental and applied research problems, earning millions in grant revenue. His academic work culminated in over 100 publications (including in Nature, Nature Communications, and Advanced Science), dozens of accolades for his research achievements, and invited presentations before heads-of-state, the US Department of Defense, and other international and domestic foundations. From 2018 to 2023, Dr. Harne was the Chief Technology Officer of HyperDamping, Inc., where he helped transition the company from applied research idea, to minimum viable product, and finally to sustainable commercial revenue.

Noise and Vibration
· Extensive project experience identifying the root cause of vibration and noise disturbances and proposing techniques to mitigate concerns to stakeholders in industries including automotive, aerospace, medical devices, medical practice, cold chain, manufacturing, distribution, agriculture, gas & oil, building and construction, industrial, and consumer goods and services.
· Created, analyzed, and optimized rubber components for vibration and shock damping targeted for specific applications including building materials and floors, industrial equipment, agricultural equipment, automotive vehicles and components, machinery used in gas & oil industries, fitness products and equipment, consumer goods, construction vehicles and equipment, and more. Characterized the performance limitations and failure modes of such products.
· Developed devices to measure miniscule vibration and acoustic signatures using novel threshold-based detection and post-processing techniques.
· Structural health monitoring hardware and software development to monitor acute and chronic symptoms of system wear, fatigue, and failure.
· Development of materials to resist blast penetration under extreme high strain-rate dynamic loads. Characterization of performance limits and failure modes of such systems.
Medical Devices and Acoustics
· Extensive project experience in the area of medical ultrasound for imaging, therapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation, shockwaves, cavitation, and lithotripsy. Experience in developing devices for these practices, characterizing the sensitivity of functionality given operational variables, and quantifying and qualifying risk associated with use of such devices.
· Extensive project experience in underwater sound, source localization, and other practices of SONAR and time-of-flight (ToF) measurement technologies. Developing hardware and software tools for acoustic image reconstruction.
· Assessment of ergonomics, safety, usability, and functionality of medical devices and apparatuses from the standpoints of mechanical design, susceptibility to vibration and noise, and potential for mechanical failure. Data Analysis and Machine Learning
· Extensive project experience designing and characterizing acoustic arrays and electromagnetic/RF arrays, including physical array design for optimal signal transmission and reception, data pre- and post-processing, and signal processing techniques for noise suppression, signal detection, anomaly detection, and more.
· Extensive project experience in the development and deployment of machine learning codes for classification of operation, anomaly detection, feature recognition, and more. Implementing artificial intelligence algorithms including deep learning, recursive neural networks, reinforcement learning, generative AI, and large language models.
Mechanical Design and Manufacturing
· Extensive project experience in design for manufacturing of rubber, elastomer, and polymer products, including for casting, injection molding, extrusion, compression molding, transfer molding, and other polymer manufacturing methods.
· Design and development of multi-material fabrication processes and characterization of limits of adhesion and part functionality for such products, including disparate material moduli, use of novel solid and liquid fillers, and other additives that modify properties.
Intellectual Property
· Extensive experience in navigating patent review, petitions, appeals, and decisions with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to bolster one's intellectual property and IP rights.
Aerospace and Naval Structures
· Created analyses to predict aerothermoacoustic loads on hypersonic vehicle flight surfaces and assess viability of flight regimes.
· Characterized structure borne noise generation from maritime vessels and methods of mitigating acoustic signatures.
· Modeled and optimized the aeroacoustic signatures generated in wakes from control surfaces subjected to high speed air flow.
Dr. Harne has published over 100 journal articles and an h-index of 30. A complete list of publications may be found at his Google Scholar webpage. A short list of significant, highly cited works is provided below.
C. El Helou, B. Grossmann, C.E. Tabor, P.R. Buskohl, and R.L. Harne. "Mechanical integrated circuit materials." Nature. 608:699-703. Aug. 2022
C. El Helou, P.R. Buskohl, C.E. Tabor, and R.L. Harne. "Digital logic gates in soft, conductive mechanical metamaterials." Nature Communications. 12:1633. Mar. 2021.
M. Pishvar and R.L. Harne. "Foundations for soft, smart matter by active mechanical metamaterials." Advanced Science. 7:2001384. Sept. 2020.
S. Cui and R.L. Harne. "Soft materials with broadband and near-total absorption of sound." Physical Review Applied. 12:064059. Dec. 2019.
S. Alharbi, S. Chaudhari, A. Inshaar, H. Shah, C. Zou, R.L. Harne, and A. Kiourti. "E-textile origami dipole antennas with graded embroidery for adaptive rf performance." IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters. 17:2218-2222. Dec. 2018.
C. Lan, L. Tang, and R.L. Harne. "Comparative methods to assess harmonic response of nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvesters interfaced with AC and DC circuits." Journal of Sound and Vibration. 421:61-78. May 2018.
R.L. Harne, Z. Deng, and M.J. Dapino. "Adaptive magnetoelastic metamaterials: a new class of magnetorheological elastomers." Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures. 29:265-278. Jan. 2018.
R.L. Harne and K.W. Wang. Harnessing Bistable Structural Dynamics: for Vibration Control, Energy Harvesting and Sensing. Wiley. Chichester, United Kingdom. 2017. 408 pages.
R.L. Harne, Y. Song, and Q. Dai. "Trapping and attenuating broadband vibroacoustic energy with hyperdamping metamaterials." Extreme Mechanics Letters. 12:41-47. Feb. 2017.
R.L. Harne and D.T. Lynd. "Origami acoustics: using principles of folding structural acoustics for simple and large focusing of sound energy." Smart Materials and Structures. 25:085031. July 2016.
R.L. Harne, A. Sun, and K.W. Wang. "Leveraging nonlinear saturation-based phenomena in an L-shaped vibration energy harvesting system." Journal of Sound and Vibration 363:517-531. Feb 2016.
R.L. Harne, M. Thota, and K.W. Wang. "Concise and high-fidelity predictive criteria for maximizing performance and robustness of bistable energy harvesters." Applied Physics Letters. 102:053903. 2013.
R.L. Harne and K.W. Wang. "A review of the recent research on vibration energy harvesting via bistable systems." Smart Materials and Structures. 22:023001. 2013.
A short list of significant presentations is given below.
R.L. Harne. "If I Only Had a Brain: Making Materials that can Muse". SPIE Smart Structures & Non-Destructive Evaluation Conference. March 14, 2023.
R.L. Harne. "Mechanical Materials that Sense, Think, React, and Learn." Johns Hopkins University. March 29, 2022.
R.L. Harne. "The Science and Applications of Mechanical Metamaterials." U.S. Government STEP Smart Materials and Intelligent Systems Seminar. October 7, 2021.
R.L. Harne. "Soft, Autonomous Engineered Matter." National Science Foundation Program Board. February 17, 2021.
R.L. Harne. "Smart Mechanical Matter." ASME SMASIS 2020 Conference. Virtual Keynote. September 15, 2020.
R.L. Harne. "Multifunctional Material Systems with Tunable Properties to Mitigate Vibration, Shock, and Sound." Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Auburn Hills, Michigan. October 19, 2018.
R.L. Harne. "Dynamic Behavior of Elastomeric Metastructures and Metamaterials Subjected to Shock and Vibration." ARO Workshop on "Meta-structures: Dynamics, Topology and Related Opportunities". Atlanta, Georgia. May 18, 2018
R.L. Harne. "Multifunctional Material Systems with Tunable Properties to Mitigate Vibration, Shock, and Sound." Ford Motor Company. Dearborn, Michigan. May 2, 2018
R.L. Harne. "Impedance-based Analysis and Response Prediction of Aerostructural Systems in Combined, Extreme Loading Environments." AFRL-University Collaborative Center in Structural Sciences, Air Force Research Laboratory. Dayton, Ohio. October 18, 2017.
R.L. Harne. "From Origami to Metamaterials: Waves Into and Out Of Tunable, Adaptive Structural and Material Systems." Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, Virginia. April 14, 2017.
R.L. Harne. "Vibration Energy Transfer in Solids and Structures: Perspectives and Projections." ARO Workshop on "The Future of Vibration Energy Transfer in Solids and Structures: Needs and Opportunities". University of Washington. Seattle, Washington. October 18, 2016.
R.L. Harne and Q. Dai. "Energy-Generating Mechanical Trees." In the audience of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Sustainability Research Luncheon. The Ohio State University, The Ohio Stadium. Columbus, Ohio. August 31, 2016.
R.L. Harne. "Creating Exceptional and Adaptive Vibroacoustic Performance and Functionality in Structural/Material Systems." Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory. Dayton, Ohio. March 18, 2016.
R.L. Harne. "Energy Transfer Principles Drawn from Understanding the Dynamics of Bistable Structures." NSF Workshop on "Energy Transport and Control in Solids and Structures". Arlington, Virginia. May 27, 2015.
Science Advances
Nature Communications, Nature Scientific Reports
Advanced Materials and Adv. Mat. family of journals
ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics and other ASME Journals
Applied Physics Letters
Smart Materials and Structures
Extreme Mechanics Letters
Journal of Sound and Vibration
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Proceedings of the Royal Society A
Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures
International Journal of Solids and Structures
Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing
US Patent Application # 63/249,084. "Integrated Circuit Design for Digital Computing and Information Processing of Mechanical Signals". 13 April 2021.
International Patent Application # WO 2021/188671. "Apparatuses, Systems, and Materials for Stiffness and Damping Control Including Ribbed Geometry, and Associated Methods".
International Patent Application # WO 2020/210395. "Materials Having Tunable Properties, and Related Systems and Methods".
US Patent Application # US 2021/0285512. "Materials Having Graded Internal Geometry, and Associated Systems and Methods"
Patent # US 10/458,501. "Designs and Manufacturing Methods for Lightweight Hyperdamping Materials Providing Large Attenuation of Broadband-Frequency Structure-Borne Sound."
Patent # US 10/546,572. "Folded Transducer Array for Compact and Deployable Wave-Energy Guiding System."

Ryan Harne

Project Experience

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Editorships & Editorial Review Boards

Prior Experiences

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