Michael Ryan's main areas of interest in recent years include fuzzy logic, hardware and software for modular arithmetic, embedded systems, and the problems involved in designing and implementing the computing/software engineering curriculum.

Fuzzy logic is one way of trying to deal with concepts that are inherently vague. It provides a framework that maps naturally onto a number of areas. Prof. Ryan has a particular interest in its application to problems of control, robotics, and computer vision.

Much of modern cryptography involves modular arithmetic, and can have heavy processing overheads. These can be reduced by adding special dedicated hardware optimised for the calculations involved. Prof. Ryan has been involved with industry in the design of such hardware and the associated mathematical algorithms.

Embedded systems development has been a research theme of Prof. Ryan for many years. Usually his work in this area arises from a problem brought to his attention by industry. In most cases, finding a solution involves hardware as well as software design, with the software going mostly on chips. Systems which Prof. Ryan has designed and had manufactured have been exported to Silicon Valley, elsewhere in the U.S., and to various European countries. Some of his work has been patented.

It is Prof. Ryan's belief that the changes in computing over the past few years need to be reflected in the computing/software engineering curriculum. Prof. Ryan is interested, therefore, in the problems which arise in designing and implementing the computing curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and is involved with bodies both inside and outside Ireland in addressing the issues involved.