Ryne Weiss

Ryne Weiss is the Director of Research at FIRE, where he oversees research projects, administers a grant program supporting research on free speech, academic freedom, and the intersection of technology and freedom of expression. He writes and speaks regularly on these topics in a variety of forums and publications.

Ryne’s passion for protecting free scholarship, artistic freedom, and students’ right to protest brought him to FIRE in 2016, and since then his roles at FIRE have included direct advocacy on behalf of students and faculty facing censorship, managing FIRE’s social media presence, and contributing research to FIRE President Greg Lukianoff’s publications — including the 2018 New York Times bestseller The Coddling of the American Mind and its 2023 followup The Canceling of the American Mind.

Ryne graduated with general honors from the University of Chicago in 2014 with a B.A. in classics and an emphasis on Latin and Greek. Ryne has lived in 10 states, and his hobbies include music and video games, in addition to more niche interests like giant robots and pro wrestling. In 2013, he captained the winning team in the world’s largest scavenger hunt.