Jon's central values include integrity, wonder, and future generations. In a leadership role these values often play out in the balance he seeks between systems-level optimization and a reflective approach to learning and honouring the needs and goals of others in an environment that fosters curiosity, striving to find win-win solutions. Within his research program these values play out in an interactive dance between the various languages of math and the various needs and goals of individulas and communities. His experience is largely within the domain of mobility rehabilitation and reintegration. It has focused specifically within the realm of assistive devices such as prostheses and exoskeletons, looking at devices, interfaces, and humans in the loop. In recent years his research interests have broadened to apply these concepts to personalized best practices and community-based structures.

Jon is the director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, which comprises a multidisciplinary team of faculty, clinicians, engineers, students, and support staff. Jon strives to develop research that contributes to our scientific knowledge while having a direct impact on the lives of people. He enjoys working as part of a multidisciplinary team and fostering a nurturing yet thought-provoking environment of innovation.

Jon is also a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, where he's taught haptic robotics, nonlinear control, and numerical optimal control. He is a passionate learner and teacher, and strives to provide his students with an intense but rewarding educational experience

Jon previously directed the Prosthesis Design and Control lab at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab) from 2009-2013, where his team developed a lightweight myoelectric arm and a body-powered prosthesis that could switch between voluntary-opening and voluntary-closing modes. He also mentored fantastic post-doctoral associates who developed powered lower-limb control strategies that he doesn't pretend to fully understand. Prior to that he was a professor at Mahidol University in Thailand from 2008-2009, where he taught biomechanics, anatomy and physiology, and developed gear and motor theory for application in prosthetics.

Jon is a co-founder of Coapt LLC, the first company to commercialize artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms in prosthetic arms.

Jon's degrees are in biomedical engineering. He also informally audited a clinical prosthetist degree, and frequently interacts with the clinic to learn more and offer his two cents. He continues to learn in a variety of areas. At the moment these include control (computational motor, nonlinear, optimal, game theory, and deep learning); music (cello, banjo, mandolin, and dulcimer); plant and animal identification; woodworking; sports (ultimate frisbee; Qi gong, Tai chi, Taekwondo, mountain-biking); search and rescue tactics; pedagogy; and Indigenous history / decolonization.