Joel's Phd research at Stanford explores how to enhance creativity and prototyping of "Smart Wearable Medical Devices", with embedded sensing and actuation. In particular, his work focuses on how to allow technical novices to express their ideas more fluidly with modular electronic and software building blocks. His research combines clinical need finding, with HCI and mechatronics, to understand how we can more rapidly prototype functional smart devices that interface with the human body, and create data driven software interfaces.

His work is inspired by his prior experiences building wearable devices and Prosthetics. He is the primary inventor of the JaipurKnee Prosthetic that was recognized by Time Magazine as a top invention of 2009. Joel earned Mechanical Engineering degrees from MIT and Stanford, and has held industry positions in medical device design at Ethicon, and product design with Apple Computer. He most recently served as a lecturer and Fellow at the Stanford Design Institute (d.School) teaching Design Thinking.