Dr. Jayfus T. Doswell, a Maryland-based entrepreneurial genius, merges technology and innovation to improve human performance. As the founder of Juxtopia, LLC, he pioneers advancements in STEM education, virtual reality, and biomedical technology, inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Entrepreneurial Genius Dr. Jayfus T. Doswell’s Talents Within Technology Are Known in Maryland
At first glance, Dr. Jayfus T. Doswell may seem like an easygoing, happy person. But his work tells a much bigger story.
Dr. Doswell is an entrepreneurial force in Maryland’s technology community. He serves as board chair of the Juxtopia Group, Inc. He is also the CEO, founder, and president of Juxtopia, LLC.
Juxtopia is a biomedical and information technology company, also known as BIO-IT. The company creates products and services that improve human learning and health performance.
Baltimore Roots and Early Gifts
Dr. Doswell was born on December 2, 1972, in Baltimore, Maryland.
His parents helped shape his strong foundation. His father, Ronald Jayfus Doswell, worked as a social worker and historian. His mother, Brenda Tucker Doswell, worked as an educator and entrepreneur.
He attended Baltimore City Public High School. There, he showed strong talent in computer programming, foreign languages, and entrepreneurship.
He also developed gifts beyond academics. His love for martial arts led him to compete in Kung-Fu and Tae-Kwon-Do tournaments. His musical talent helped him play violin and classical piano in the Baltimore Youth Orchestra.
Those experiences helped shape a rare combination of skills. Dr. Doswell became skilled in technology, music, leadership, poetry, engineering, science, athletics, and entrepreneurship.
Choosing Both STEM and the Arts
As a child, Dr. Doswell dreamed of becoming a robotics engineer or neurosurgeon. But he did not have the technical and math mentorship he needed early on.
That challenge made his path harder. It also forced him to think deeply about his future.
He considered studying music. He also considered a STEM career. In the end, he chose both.
Dr. Doswell studied cognitive neuropsychology and computer science at Oberlin College. In 1995, he earned a B.A. degree in both.
He made that choice for a larger reason. He wanted to become a symbol for young people facing STEM-related roadblocks.
Academic Training and Virtual Instructor Research
Dr. Doswell continued his education after Oberlin.
He earned a master’s degree in Systems and Computer Science from Howard University in 1998. He later earned a Ph.D. in information technology from George Mason University in 2005.
His dissertation focused on virtual learning. It was titled: Building the Virtual Instructor: An Architecture for Developing Pedagogical Embodied Conversational Agents for Mixed Reality Environments.
That work helped launch the IEEE Virtual Instructor Pilot Research Group, also known as VIPRG. Dr. Doswell serves as co-director of the group.
VIPRG includes 30 international researchers. Together, they created a standard for building virtual instructors in interactive learning environments.
Building Technology for Human Learning
Dr. Doswell spent six years researching, designing, and developing virtual instructors.
He also worked on what he calls pedagogical embodied conversational agents, or PECA. These tools support learning through interactive digital environments.
His research explores augmented reality and virtual reality. He studies how these tools can improve intellectual and psychomotor learning.
Dr. Doswell also chairs two major conferences. They are the Juxtopia Urban Learning Technology conference and the Virtual Instructor conference.
He has been published in several IEEE journals and conferences focused on learning technology.
Career in Software, Systems, and Biotechnology
Dr. Doswell has built a strong career across technology and education.
In 1998, he worked as a senior software engineer at Lockheed Martin. In 1999, he worked as a systems analyst at KPMG.
In 2003, he worked as a systems engineer consultant at SAIC.
His academic career also expanded. In 2010, he was named distinguished professor of Biotechnology at Elizabeth City State University.
He also served as chair of Biotechnology at Sojourner Douglass College. During that time, he helped develop the biotechnology curriculum for Baltimore City Public Schools.
Leadership Across STEM and Public Health
Dr. Doswell’s work reaches far beyond one company or school.
He serves on various non-profit boards. He also belongs to several major professional groups.
His memberships include:
- Association for Computing Machinery
- Health Informatics and Information Technology Section
- National Society of Black Engineers
- American Telemedicine Association
- American Public Health Association
These roles reflect his wide interests. They also show his commitment to science, health, technology, and public service.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Dr. Doswell often follows his favorite quote: the propensity for perfection.
He uses his skills in technology, science, and leadership to mentor students. Many of those students come from disadvantaged and underserved communities.
He helps them build workforce skills in science, technology, engineering, and math. He also encourages them to see themselves as future innovators.
Through the Juxtopia Group, Dr. Doswell has enrolled student teams in major competitions.
Those competitions include:
- Global Learning XPRIZE
- IBM Watson AI XPRIZE
- Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE
- Google Lunar XPRIZE
His goal is simple. He wants students to gain confidence, skills, and access.
Inventions, Patents, and Human Performance
Dr. Doswell has several inventions pending at the U.S. Patent Office.
The Juxtopia Group also holds a patent connected to Alzheimer’s disease. That solution marked an important moment for the company.
He was quoted saying, “I am most proud of what I have accomplished utilizing Juxtopia as an intervention to significantly and measurably achieve Juxtopia’s mission of improving human performance and specifically helping minority companies secure funding, patents, and providing wrap-around JUICE services to help companies create products for developing innovations for improving human performance.”
That statement captures his mission. He wants technology to improve lives. He also wants minority companies to gain more access to resources and innovation support.
A Greater Baltimore Technology Leader
Dr. Doswell’s greatest joy comes from helping others grow.
He uses his knowledge to motivate and inspire the next generation of multidisciplinary STEM leaders. His work touches academics, entrepreneurship, and the modern workplace.
Dr. Jayfus T. Doswell continues to stand out in Maryland’s technology community. He is certainly among the stars who make things happen in Greater Baltimore.
