Dr. Jesse Thornburg

Biography

Jesse Thornburg is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the College of Engineering. His research focuses on microgrid automation and he teaches courses in electrical engineering and entrepreneurship. With extensive experience in entrepreneurship and product design, particularly in the automation of energy sectors, he is a co-founder of Grid Fruit, a software company emphasizing automated controls, energy efficiency, and data science. Thornburg has over 13 years of experience working with startup companies and early-stage entrepreneurs. He holds SB degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Comparative Media Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has earned MS and PhD degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Additionally, he has led power generation and water purification projects in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Serving as the founding director of the WIN Center for Entrepreneurship, he has worked to build interdisciplinary international teams and has authored or co-authored 25 technical publications. Jesse is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a member of the Materials Research Society and the National Postdoctoral Association.

Research Interests