Dr. Axel Krieger is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Krieger’s work focuses on the development of novel tools, imaging, and robot control techniques for medical robotics. Specifically, Dr. Krieger investigates methodologies that (i) increase the smartness and autonomy and (ii) improve image guidance of medical robots to perform previously impossible tasks, improve efficiency, and improve patient outcomes.
Before joining the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Krieger was an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and head of the Medical Robotics & Equipment (MRE) Lab between May 2017 and June 2020. He also worked as an Assistant Research Professor and program lead for Smart Tools at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National, leading a group of scientists and engineers in the research and development of robotic tools and laparoscopic devices. Projects at Children’s included the development of a surgical robot called smart tissue autonomous robot (STAR) and the use of 3D printing for surgical planning and patient-specific implants. Dr. Krieger holds several licensed patents for biomedical devices. He joined Children’s National after several years of experience in private industry at Sentinelle Medical Inc. and Hologic Inc. His role within these organizations was Product Leader developing devices and software systems from concept to FDA approval and market introduction. Dr. Krieger completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany and his doctorate at Johns Hopkins, where he pioneered an MR-guided prostate biopsy robot used in over 50 patient procedures at three hospitals..