About

Chris Danek, CEO of Bessel,  is an entrepreneur and life sciences industry veteran. Chris believes in empowering technical teams.  Trained in business and engineering, he has worked with dozens of teams in industry and at universities across the US. He helps them speed time-to-market with agile teamwork and human-centered design while using advanced technology like artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and digital engineering. Bessel clients and Powered by Bessel startups are located nationwide. 

Chris is a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, a leading Hispanic-serving research university that has adopted the Bessel Origin program in its Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.  Chris is also a visiting professor at the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation at UTEP.

Chris was co-founder and CEO of AtheroMed (now Philips AtheroMed), and before that was V.P. R&D of Asthmatx (Boston Scientific).  Chris is an advisor to the Santa Clara University Healthcare Innovation and Design Lab. He has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from the Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania, and is an inventor of over 90 U.S. patents.