Ryan Howard
Principal Solutions Engineer at Submer
Building Resilient Infrastructure That Lasts
Seasoned technical executive with 28+ years delivering innovative solutions for hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and Fortune 50 enterprises across North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. Expert in liquid cooling, immersion technology, energy optimization, and scalable infrastructure design—patents in energy, robotics, and sensors. Featured on Discovery Channel. Active collaborator with Sandia, Los Alamos, LLNL, LBNL, NERC, and DOE National Labs.
About
28+ Years of Innovation
As Principal Solutions Engineer at Submer, Ryan leads the design and delivery of advanced data center solutions for hyperscale, military, and enterprise clients, specializing in immersion cooling and MEP systems. He serves as the primary technical contact for key accounts, building durable relationships and driving high levels of customer satisfaction.
At F5 Networks, Ryan directed the global BIG-IP solutions portfolio ($3B annual revenue), collaborating across 75 offices in 43 countries. He championed new product launches (VELOS, rSeries) during the pandemic and chip shortage, exceeding customer expectations for innovation and reliability. His work included designing ultra-secure networks for military, government, and Fortune 50 clients.
Ryan has managed infrastructure, DevOps, cloud, and security operations in a $25B healthcare organization, integrating modern tooling to streamline delivery. He actively interfaces with NERC RSTC, ACT-IAC, and DOE National Labs (Sandia, Los Alamos, LLNL, LBNL) to develop and test next-generation data centers, influencing standards and best practices.
Ryan holds patents in energy, satellite communications, robotics, sensors, and network technologies. He was featured on Discovery Channel's Popular Science series and is an International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) alumnus, having won DOE and IEEE awards in 1994 for a frictionless bearing motor design used in HVAC and military systems.
Core Strengths
Liquid Cooling Design
Hyperscale Infrastructure
Cloud Architecture & Security
Global Team Leadership
Solutions Engineering
Customer Engagement
Certifications & Recognition
- • Patents in energy, satellite, robotics, sensors, network tech
- • LEED-certified data center designs and builds
- • Discovery Channel featured expert
- • ISEF alumnus with DOE & IEEE awards (1994)
- • NVIDIA GTC speaker on multi-cloud security
Experience
Career Journey
From military infrastructure to Fortune 50 solutions—a track record of building resilient systems that matter.
Principal Solutions Engineer | Hyperscaler (MEP)
Submer
January 2024 - Present
- •Lead design and delivery of advanced data center solutions for hyperscale, military, and enterprise clients specializing in immersion cooling and MEP systems
- •Primary technical contact for key accounts, building relationships and driving customer satisfaction
- •Collaborate with Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, Supermicro, Dell on next-gen cooling strategies
- •Interface with DOE National Labs (Sandia, Los Alamos, LLNL, LBNL) on HPC testing for water-saving solutions
Principal Solutions Engineer & Product Manager
F5 Networks
2018 - 2023
- •Directed global BIG-IP solutions portfolio ($3B annual revenue) across 75 offices in 43 countries
- •Championed VELOS and rSeries product launches during pandemic and chip shortage
- •Collaborated with Fortune 100 clients and ISVs on sustainable innovations and hybrid cloud designs
- •Led high-stakes presentations with government, military, and enterprise clients on solution value
Senior System Engineer II, R&D and Infrastructure
Providence Digital Innovation Group
2016 - 2018
- •Managed infrastructure, DevOps, cloud, and security operations in $25B healthcare organization
- •Architected hybrid SD-WAN solutions integrating F5 BIG-IP with Meraki wireless networks
- •Integrated modern tooling (Jira, Confluence, Slack, PagerDuty, GitHub, Splunk) to streamline delivery
- •Collaborated with 50+ internal teams on multi-cloud and data center strategies
CTO, R&D Engineering
Levitate Labs LLC
2004 - 2016
- •Fulfilled aerospace and military subcontracts, authored patents on encryption, energy, and robotics
- •Developed portable inverters for nuclear plants, GPS tracking for military, AI-based building controls
- •Created electronics for NASA/AFRL CubeSat plasma thruster and Raytheon Nett Warrior system
- •Designed LEED-certified commercial buildings with intelligent networking for security, HVAC, and controls
Projects & Impact
Innovation at Scale
From patents to global partnerships—driving measurable impact in data center technology and sustainable infrastructure.
Innovation
Multiple Patents & ISEF Awards
Patents in energy, satellite communications, robotics, sensors, network technologies, and medical devices. ISEF alumnus with DOE and IEEE awards (1994) for frictionless bearing motor design used in HVAC and military systems.
Energy optimization systems
Satellite & network tech
Robotics & sensor innovation
Thought Leadership
NVIDIA GTC Speaker
Presented at NVIDIA GTC on securing and scaling multi-cloud data center environments, showcasing hardware acceleration and application delivery innovations.
Multi-cloud security
Hardware offloads
Application delivery at scale
Infrastructure
LEED-Certified Data Centers
Designed and delivered LEED-certified commercial buildings and data centers with intelligent networking for security, parking, HVAC, fire, and elevator controls across North America, EMEA, and APAC.
Sustainable design
Global deployments
Integrated building systems
Research & Development
National Lab Collaborations
Active collaborator with DOE National Labs (Sandia, Los Alamos, LLNL, LBNL), NERC RSTC Load Modeling Working Group, and ACT-IAC on strategic site selection and next-generation data center technologies.
HPC testing & development
Grid resilience research
Industry standards influence
Featured Media
Discovery Channel: Advanced Cooling Systems Expert
Showcased innovative liquid cooling solutions for next-generation data centers
Industry Ties
Trusted Partnerships
Collaborating with industry leaders, national laboratories, and Fortune 50 enterprises to shape the future of infrastructure.
Submer
F5 Networks
Sandia National Labs
Los Alamos National Lab
LLNL
LBNL
NERC RSTC
U.S. Department of Energy
Intel
NVIDIA
AMD
Supermicro
Dell Technologies
ACT-IAC
NASA
AFRL
Global Reach, Local Expertise
Ryan has deployed solutions across North America, EMEA, and APAC, working with government agencies, Fortune 50 enterprises, hyperscalers, and research institutions. His network spans the military, commercial tech, and scientific research communities.
Get In Touch
Let's Build Something Great
Whether you need consulting on hyperscale infrastructure, liquid cooling solutions, or mission-critical systems—let's talk.
Connect Directly
Areas of Expertise
- • Liquid immersion cooling & MEP systems
- • Hyperscale data center design
- • Energy-efficient infrastructure
- • Multi-cloud architecture & security
- • Solutions engineering leadership
- • Strategic partnerships & industry advocacy