Dr. Scott Thielman is vice president of product development at OpZira, Inc., an ophthalmic medical device company advancing diagnostic technologies for ocular disease. He brings more than 25 years of experience driving medical device innovation from concept through FDA clearance and commercial manufacturing. As former CTO of Product Creation Studio, he led development of dozens of FDA-cleared devices across ophthalmology, neurostimulation, dermatology, and surgical instrumentation for partners including Advanced Bionics, Olympus Medical, and Cardinal Health — notably directing the first waterproof cochlear implant audio processor and the Valeda® Light Delivery System for LumiThera. Dr. Thielman holds a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington and is a named inventor on 15 issued patents. At UW Bothell, he developed and teaches "AI in Product Development," a course that bridges generative AI, machine learning fundamentals, and real-world engineering practice. His current work at OpZira focuses on applying AI and machine learning to electrophysiology diagnostics, giving his teaching a direct connection to the evolving frontier of intelligent medical devices.