Whether she’s prototyping through the night in Ghana or walking kilometers in blazing heat to collect water samples in India, Jessica’s love of people and passion for social innovation knows no bounds. Jessica has worked in Asia, Central America, and Africa on social innovation in the water, agricultural, energy, and transport sectors. In 2007, she received the Truman Award’s honorable mention for her design of the Zambulance—a bicycle ambulance used for transporting patients from remote areas to health centers in Zambia. Two hundred locally manufactured Zambulances are currently in use.

Jessica has also worked on several aspects of MIT D-lab’s Fuel from the Fields project, including designing a briquette press that makes briquettes from agricultural wastes while combatting deforestation and reducing the risk of respiratory infection from indoor smoke inhalation. Most recently, Jessica worked with the Gobee Group on two global technology design projects - one to increase HIV drug access through improved data, and another to support maternal and newborn health outcomes through the use of mobile phones.

Jessica received her bachelors and masters degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT. She’s currently doing interdisciplinary doctoral research at UC Berkeley, except when she’s dancing, enjoying the outdoors, and alleviating poverty with IDEO.org.