Jesse Wheeler is the Neurotechnology Business Lead at Draper Laboratory, an advanced R&D company that is creating next-generation Biomedical Solutions. His interests include implantable micro-systems for medical therapies, biomimetic systems for efficient processing and control, and cybernetic systems that optimize cooperative interactions between biology and machines.
Jesse holds degrees in physics and biomedical engineering and conducted his doctoral research at Washington University in St Louis. Jesse’s doctoral work focused on closed-loop neural interfaces to restore movement and sensation of touch through neuroprosthetics and re-animation of paralyzed limbs. This body of work includes neuro-computational modeling, neuromuscular and skeletal dynamics, design of novel chronic neural interfaces, circuit design for closed-loop neural recording and stimulation, and development of co-adaptive algorithms for accelerating learning and cooperation between humans and machines.
As Draper Laboratory’s Neurotechnology Business Lead, Jesse manages a diverse portfolio of neurotechnologies. His biomedical work at Draper includes the development of next-generation medical implants with high-fidelity electrodes, responsive therapies, and wireless connectivity. Examples include a 320-channel closed-loop brain implant for treating neuropsychiatric disorders and a network of miniature wireless implants for restoring sensorimotor function to amputees. Jesse has also applied neurotechnology solutions to non-medical applications, which includes the development of cybernetic systems that use neural interfaces to achieve cooperative control between biology and machines.