Ryan Rodriguez

Contact

Email: rjacrod@gmail.com
GitHub
Google Scholar

About

I am a founder and researcher working on ML and optimization, especially with spatial, graph, and mobility applications.

I run Modal, a multimodal microtransit software company I cofounded with Pascal Van Hentenryck. Before that, I researched under Pascal at a National AI Institute and left my ML PhD at Georgia Tech to start Modal.

On the side, I prototype small projects with people I'd like to build with long-term. If you're technical and working on or thinking about something interesting, I'd love to hear from you.

Academic

• BS, Industrial Engineering @ Georgia Tech — concentration in Operations Research.
• PhD (incomplete), Machine Learning @ Georgia Tech — left to found Modal.

Beyond my primary mobility work, I've also researched in computer vision/IoPT, autonomous vehicles, power systems, and humanitarian tech/medtech.

Other

• NLOPT — natural language optimization solver with MINLP optimality guarantees under specific conditions.
• SkyCP — constraint programming flight optimizer for multi-destination travel.
• Oxaros — affordable pulse oximeter prototype for rural clinics.
• fav-rocky — vision-based desktop companion for everyday tasks, modeled off Rocky from Project Hail Mary.
• ropt — delightfully goofy, entirely in-browser WebLLM/WebGPU chatbot trained on your discord messages.
• CV (Oct 2025)