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Our Story

Could silicon be more effective for medical treatment than drugs someday? We think that day could be soon. More details in our FAQ

Our Team

Openwater was founded in 2016 to explore an idea: What if advancements in fields as diverse as consumer electronics, semiconductor device physics, and artificial intelligence could come together for a future where the profound act of curing disease becomes a reality for all, transcending borders and transforming the course of human health. ​The world of healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics could be transformed the way that semiconductors and software have transformed everything else. This is no dream: 7 years into the journey of starting Openwater we now have strong clinical feasibility data that could lead to products which diagnose and treat a spectrum of diseases, from aggressive cancers to mental health disorders and debilitating strokes and beyond touching on treatments for COVID/long COVID, stimulating stem cells, and rejuvenation of senescent cells. 

Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen

CEO and Founder

Named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People and CNN's Top 10 Thinkers; former executive leadership at Facebook, Oculus, Google and...

Dr. Brad Hartl

Director of Bioengineering

Previously developed Cerenkov radiation and autofluorescence lifetime imaging for medical applications in the brain...

Andrew Houck

Sr. Staff Mechanical Engineer

Andrew has a decade of experience developing optical and electromechanical systems. Experienced in mechanical design...

Marissa Dhillon

Head of Human Resources & Office Manager

A graduate of UCLA, Marissa has over 20 years of experience in human resources and operations management. She has...

Seemal Tahir

Ultrasound Engineer

Seemal is an R&D Ultrasound Engineer with a background of mechanical design, sensor development, and device testing. She is a recent graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Reza Rasouli

Staff Research Scientist

Reza has over 10 years of experience in designing and implementing microfluidics and lab-on-chip systems...

Dr. Soren Konecky

Chief Technology Officer

Soren has decades of experience in optical imaging and algorithm development for both life science and semiconductor applications...

Dr. Peter Hollender

Principal Ultrasonic Engineer

Peter has worked in ultrasound research and development since 2009. After completing his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Duke University...

Henry Tang

Principal Electrical Engineer

Over 30 years of developing and manufacturing a variety of products for the medical, DoD, industrial, semiconductor and consumer from initial concept through full production.

Dr. Gambhir Ranjit

Sr. Staff Laser Engineer

More that a decade long experience in lasers, optics and optoelectronics systems, research and development in academia...

Richard Whang

Project Manager

Richard has over 30 years of experience in Technical Program Management developing and manufacturing new products as well as sustaining products.

Sean McCommons

Sr. Staff Electrical Engineer

Experience in design and development of medical and consumer electronics. Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Science...

Mark Watson

Managing Director of Taiwan & VP of Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Mark has held leadership positions at some of the world's top consumer brands, including Microsoft, Fitbit, quip, and Coca-Cola.

Peter Herzlinger

Director of Mechanical Engineer

Peter has over 30 years of developing and manufacturing innovative optical products including scientific sensors, ...

George Vigelette

Principal Software Engineer

George Vigelette has more than 25 years of experience in IT product development for some of the largest companies in the world. His expertise...

Ethan Head

Sr. Software Engineer

Ethan is a software engineer with a history at fast-paced startups and aerospace companies. He’s shipped code powering public transit systems, space...

Dr. Muhammad Zubair

Sr. Staff Ultrasound Engineer

Muhammad has 10+ years of experience in ultrasound research and development. He has primarily focused on creating ultrasound devices and treatment delivery strategies for neuromodulation...

Board & Advisory

Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen

Chairman of Board

Named of the hundred most influential people in the world by Time Magazine...

Arjun "JJ" Desai, MD

Member, Board of Directors

Chief Strategic Innovation Officer at Insightec, former VP & COO of Johnson & Johnson Innovation + JLABS.

Jeff Huber

Board Director

Jeff is a legendary engineering senior vice president and business leader who pioneered work at Google over his tenure of 13 years...

Prof. Theodor Haensch

Scientific Advisory Board

Professor Haensch won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 for his work on comb lasers and precision spectroscopy...

Juan Enriquez

Board Director

Juan is the managing director of Excel Venture Management...

Dr. Neal Kassel

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Kassel is the founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and former Co-chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia...

This notification serves as a safety disclosure for our Open-LIFU and Open-Motion systems intended exclusively for research purposes. Openwater acknowledges that, as of January, 2024 the device has not undergone review and clearance or approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for commercial distribution and use.

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