Dwight Nelson, PhD

Senior Fellow

Industry Synergies

Dwight is a Senior Fellow with the MnDRIVE Brain Conditions Team where he focuses on increasing and strengthening MnDRIVE Brain Conditions relationships with business and industry.

Role with MnDRIVE: Dwight is focused on industry and academic collaboration, increasing synergies between UMN research and regional and global neuro startups as well as industry leaders. He is facilitating effective clinical and preclinical research collaborations, creating a distinct deliverables-based research culture, and building a sustainable pipeline of Neuro research expertise, discoveries and commercialization at the University of Minnesota. These business synergy efforts include driving and significantly improving the scientific foundation of the Minnesota medical device ecosystem, better connecting UMN resources and opportunities to partners in start-ups and strategic industry leaders, and establishing more effective academic-industry collaboration. Ultimately these programs bring cutting-edge, data driven breakthroughs to future patients and the Minnesota biotechnology ecosystem.

Background: Dwight has broad experience in both corporate and academic research. With a PhD in neuroscience, he has worked as a scientist and leader in both the pharma and medical device industries, and has been a tenured university faculty with funding from NIH, NSF, and business and industry collaborations. Dwight’s most extensive industry experience was with Medtronic Neuro R+D, where he was a Chief Scientist in Global Research for multiple global business units, driving clinical and preclinical programs, patent strategies and submissions, and establishing novel research and therapy directions. He founded and led multiple teams of MD and PhD scientists and research programs for deep brain stimulation, brain sensing, peripheral nerve and pelvic health therapies, as well as spinal neuromodulation. Retiring from Medtronic in 2018, he established a successful neuroresearch consulting firm to provide scientific leadership for numerous global device and diagnostics start-ups and academic teams.

Contact me

If you’re a corporate or business team:

With medical device concepts or broader collaboration needs or interests related to MnDRIVE areas at the University of Minnesota.
For needs such as feedback, research advising, technology testing, training, and collaboration with Minnesota MnDRIVE researchers and research teams.
With questions or ideas about how UMN and MnDRIVE might facilitate your company’s commercialization and technology readiness testing, training, clinical or preclinical research program, patent reviews or other collaborative projects.
With interests in sponsoring or contributing to the annual MNdrive neuromodulation symposium or other training, collaboration or sharing opportunities.

We can connect you, facilitate introductions, drive next-steps and discussions, and ensure follow-up and outcomes.

If you’re a MnDRIVE or UMN neuroscience researcher or collaborating team:

We can facilitate medical device concept discussions or commercialization and scalability that will be interesting to global or regional corporate partners.
For needs for feedback, research advising, and technology testing and how to link this with corporate partnerships or commercialization pathways.
With ideas about how UMN and MnDRIVE can better connect you with corporate or businesses to facilitate your research team’s commercialization and technology readiness testing projects.

We can connect you, suggest and get you introductions to the right teams. We can help with defining next steps. We can work with you to envision and achieve amazing outcomes.

Corporate Synergies

Dwight Nelson, PhD

Senior Fellow

Industry Synergies