Jesse Thornburg is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), teaching electrical engineering and entrepreneurship in Kigali, Rwanda. He received two bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and media studies from MIT. He then received his master's and PhD in electrical and computer engineering from CMU. He worked on developing solar and hydroelectric power in the DRC, Rwanda, and Guatemala before co-founding and serving as CEO for three technology startups in solar thermal power, energy management, and agriculture automation, respectively. Thornburg leads the Lean Automation for Global Development (LEAGDev) lab at CMU-Africa, which focuses on automation, renewable energy, and lean business growth. He has authored over 20 technical journal and conference publications, for which he and his co-authors won the "Best Presentation" award at the 2016 IET International Conference on Clean Energy and Technology (CEAT). He was the founding director of the WIN Center for Entrepreneurship and then the first Head of Engineering Programs at Samarkand International University of Technology. He is a member of IEEE and the National Postdoctoral Association.
