Dr Philippa Ryan's area of expertise is commercial equity, in particular the liability of third parties to a breach of trust. Her PhD formulated a new classification for accessorial liability.

Her current research explores trust and distrust in digital economies and autonomous systems, including smart contracts enabled by blockchain technology. Dr Ryan designed and coordinates a commercial equity elective that examines directors’ duties, Ponzi schemes and the trust as an alternative to a corporate arrangement. Her teaching research investigates how authentic legal processes can improve law students' problem-solving.

In conjunction with the UTS Connected Intelligence Centre, she is piloting the use of discourse analytics software powered by AI to improve law students' legal writing skills and self-assessment. In the Faculty of Law, Dr Ryan facilitates the Allens Neota UTS Law Tech Challenge for Social Justice.