Mary Lou Jepsen, PhD, Joins Foundation’s Council

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Key Points

  • Dr. Jepsen is a prolific inventor and entrepreneur.
  • She is CEO and Founder of Openwater, a San Francisco–based medical laser and ultrasonics imaging device technology company.
  • The Council provides strategic advice, assists with raising funds, and builds awareness.

Mary Lou Jepsen headshot for webThe Foundation is pleased to welcome Mary Lou Jepsen, PhD, to its Council, a dedicated group of goodwill ambassadors who work closely with the Board of Directors and staff to provide advice and assist with raising funds and building awareness.

Dr. Jepsen is CEO, Founder, and Chair of the Board of Openwater, a San Francisco–based medical laser and ultrasonics imaging device technology company. She also serves as a director on the boards of Lear Corporation (a Fortune 150 automotive components supplier) and Luminar Technologies (a pioneer in LiDAR and autonomous driving.)

As a prolific inventor and entrepreneur, Dr. Jepsen has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine (“Time 100”) and one of CNN’s top 10 thinkers in science and technology. She has more than 200 patents published or issued to her name.

“Mary Lou’s ability to envision today’s technology applied in innovative ways that solve tomorrow’s problems across disciplines is invaluable,” says Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD. “She has an impressive background and experience bringing inventions to the mass market, and her insights offer much that can be translated into the commercialization of focused ultrasound. We are honored to have her involved as a member of our Council.”

Previously, Dr. Jepsen served as the executive director of engineering at Facebook, Inc., and head of display technologies at Oculus, and she has also held similar roles at Google, Inc., and X (formerly Google[x]). Prior to this, Dr. Jepsen was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and co-founded the nonprofit organization “One Laptop per Child,” for which she served as chief technology officer and lead architect on design, cost-down, and scale components for the $100 laptops that were successfully shipped to millions of children in the developing world.

Dr. Jepsen received her PhD in optical physics as well as her ScB in electrical engineering and studio art from Brown University. In October 2018, she delivered a keynote address at the Foundation’s 6th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound.

“I’m dazzled by the potential of focused ultrasound to treat a massive number of human conditions, but I am even more amazed at the speed of execution in making these dreams reality,” said Dr. Jepsen. “I want to bring my skillset to bear here to help in any way I can.”