MSE alumnus inducted into Florida Inventors Hall of Fame

• UF MSE alumnus Donald K. Jones, the CEO of Empirilon Technology, will be inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.  
• Jones designed breakthrough neurovascular and endoscopic devices. 
• As a patent agent, he steers IP strategy for medical‑device firms, ensuring protection and advancement of new therapies. 

Donald K. Jones, an accomplished inventor, patent agent and proud University of Florida alumnus, will be inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame this year.  

Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in 1991 from UF’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, also known as MSE. Since 2011, he has served as chief executive officer of Empirilon Technology. 

He has devoted his career to advancing healthcare technologies and fostering innovation. As an inventor, he developed cutting-edge medical devices to improve patient outcomes. With 105 U.S. patents, he addresses endoscopic suturing, embolization devices, vascular occlusion tools and flexible endoscopic systems, resulting in improved patient care with safer, more effective and less invasive procedures. 

Jones began his career applying materials science and engineering to complex technical challenges before moving into the medical industry.  

At Cordis Endovascular Systems and Cordis Neurovascular, divisions associated with Johnson & Johnson, he contributed to the development of advanced implantable devices to treat hemorrhagic stroke encompassing aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and fistulae, according to a news release from the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. His work included embolization coils and particles, vascular occlusion devices, stent technologies and other tools that help physicians treat life-threatening neurovascular conditions.  

He worked on the Enterprise Vascular Reconstruction Device, a stent technology developed to treat wide-necked brain aneurysms. The device allowed physicians to navigate the tortuous vessels of the brain through a very small catheter, providing the ability to deploy, re-sheath, reposition and redeploy the implant before final release.  

This has been a critical advancement in neurovascular intervention and helped change the treatments for complex aneurysm cases.  

Jones later served as director of Intellectual Property at Apollo Endosurgery Inc., where he managed and expanded the company’s intellectual property portfolio for bariatric medical devices and flexible endoscopic surgical tools used in the gastrointestinal tract. Among the innovations associated with this work is the OverStitch Endoscopic Suturing device, which enables physicians to perform full-thickness suturing in the gastrointestinal tract through an endoscopic approach.  

As a registered patent agent, he combines deep technical knowledge with intellectual property strategy. At Empirilon Technology, he provides consulting services to medical device and technology clients; these include patent portfolio analysis, patent strategy development, patent searching, patent drafting and patent prosecution, in addition to biomedical and mechanical technology development. Through this work, he has helped inventors, companies and startups protect and advance promising medical technologies.  

The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame honors individuals with strong Florida ties whose inventions have improved quality of life, advanced economic development and inspired future generations. Subrata Roy, a professor in UF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, also will be inducted this year. 

The 2026 class of distinguished inventors will be formally inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame at a ceremony in November.