Fierce Sensors announces it fifth group of Rising Stars in the 2026 class of honorees. These awards will be given at Sensors Converge, May 5-7, in Santa Clara, CA. Congratulations to all!
Rising Stars are chosen for their contributions to advancements in technology. They push boundaries with their creativity, expertise and impact. The honorees are named each week in no particular order
Prasanthi Yerra
Systems Applications Engineer
Analog Devices
Italy
Prasanthi Yerra is a Systems Application Engineer at Analog Devices with seven years’ experience in electronics applications development. She earned a master’s in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and began her career as an embedded developer on IoT projects before specializing in laser beam scanning and isolation products. At ADI she now focuses on system-level applications of precision signal chains and iCoupler® isolation, translating complex mixed-signal and high-speed-protocol challenges into robust customer solutions. Prasanthi has presented technical webinars and conference talks—covering isolating high-speed interfaces (USB/HDMI/GMSL) and camera serial-interface integration—demonstrating hands-on mastery of signal integrity, jitter, and PCB-layout best practices. Her ability to bridge embedded firmware, analog front-ends, and isolation architecture accelerates product development while improving reliability in demanding industrial and imaging systems. For these technical accomplishments, effective communication skills, and documented leadership in advancing isolator and precision-signal solutions, Prasanthi is an ideal Fierce Sensors Rising Star 2026.
Jonas Horn
Senior Product Manager
Sensirion
Switzerland
Jonas Horn is a Senior Product Manager at Sensirion with nearly two decades of experience supporting international customers across life sciences, analytical instrumentation, semiconductors, and electronics manufacturing. Trained as a physicist with a Master’s in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, he excels at translating complex scientific concepts into practical product strategies and solving application challenges through close collaboration with customers and cross‑functional teams. Since joining Sensirion in 2007, Jonas has played a central role in advancing sensor innovation, most recently leading efforts in breath‑based sensing for metabolic health and wellness applications. His work bridges rigorous measurement science and market needs, guiding the development of compact, reliable gas‑ and flow‑sensing solutions that enable new clinical and consumer use cases. Known for deep technical knowledge, customer empathy, and strategic product leadership, Jonas drives initiatives that improve diagnostic capability and quality of life, positioning Sensirion at the forefront of next‑generation sensing technologies.
Rob Devlin
CEO
Metalenz
USA
Rob Devlin is co-founder and CEO of Metalenz. He earned a joint BS/MS in Electrical Engineering and Materials Science from Drexel University and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University, where he worked in the lab of Federico Capasso. In 2016, Devlin and Capasso founded Metalenz to commercialize their breakthrough research in metasurface optics. In the past three years, more than 140 million metasurface optics have been integrated into consumer devices for 3D sensing, replacing conventional lens stacks. Metalenz continues to build on core innovations, designing next-gen image polarization sensing solutions as the metasurface market and use cases for consumer sensing rapidly expand. In 2025, Devlin received Optica’s Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award for his foundational contributions to metasurface design, leadership in commercialization, and development of the first polarization sensor for consumer applications.
Jesse Baker
Systems Engineer, magnetic position sensors
Texas Instruments
USA
Jesse Baker drives advances in position-sensing technology at Texas Instruments, developing next‑generation integrated circuits that deliver exceptional accuracy. In five years at TI, he has demonstrated the innovation and technical leadership of a rising star in the sensors industry. Jesse has designed novel position‑sensing architectures that improve precision measurement and control across automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. His uncommon journey from high‑school math teacher to sensing engineer sets him apart: after earning a B.S. in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, he taught for four years before transitioning to TI. This background gives him a rare ability to master complex sensing concepts and explain them clearly, accelerating adoption among engineering teams and customers. Progressing from applications roles supporting temperature, humidity, and position sensors to his current systems engineering position, Jesse has introduced practical sensor‑integration approaches that solve difficult industry problems. His customer‑centric mindset and strong relationship skills make him a trusted advisor, enabling deployment of precision position sensing for autonomous systems, robotics, and smart industrial applications.
Dwith Chenna
MTS Product Development Engineer, AI Inference
Advanced Micro Devices
USA
Dwith Chenna represents the next generation of innovators reshaping sensing, embedded intelligence, and edge-AI. With over a decade of international R&D experience at organizations such as Magic Leap, the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and AMD, he consistently delivers advances at the nexus of computer vision, deep learning, and hardware–software co‑design. Dwith specializes in enabling high‑performance perception on highly constrained platforms—particularly DSPs and edge accelerators—by developing optimized algorithms and deployment pipelines that improve latency, memory efficiency, accuracy, and power consumption. His work has driven progress in augmented reality, non‑contact physiological sensing, and intelligent compute architectures. Beyond research, he serves the community as a technical committee member, conference reviewer, speaker, and judge for AI excellence awards, mentoring emerging talent and helping shape standards for trustworthy real‑time AI. Honored with the IEEE Computer Society Compute’s Top 30 (2025) and the IEEE Santa Clara Valley Industry Rising Star (2024), Dwith exemplifies the Fierce Sensors Rising Stars class of 2026.