2025 William E. Gifford Award - Ryan Snodgrass

Dr. Ryan Snodgrass is recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field of cryogenics, particularly in the areas of pulse tube refrigerators and Gifford-McMahon cryocoolers. His research has advanced the fundamental understanding of these coolers, particularly at temperatures near 4 K, where real-fluid physics dominate their performance. Ryan's work, including his patent on dynamic acoustic impedance matching, has led to improved system efficiency, reduced cooldown times, and lower power consumption in pulse tube refrigerators. As a leader of the Cryocoolers Team at NIST, he has spearheaded groundbreaking applied research, securing substantial funding and guiding the next generation of cryocooler technologies.