Jason Cornelius

Jason Cornelius is the Co-founder and CEO of Perseus Defense and an aerospace engineering instructor at Stanford University. Prior to launching his defense technology startup, he previously served as an aerospace engineer at NASA, where he helped lead major technical components of the Titan Dragonfly space helicopter project. During his tenure, Cornelius directed an advanced concepts team focused on next-generation Mars helicopters and secured $500,000 in funding from NASA headquarters to integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and supercomputing into aviation design. Outside of his engineering and executive roles, he is a licensed pilot who holds seven scuba certifications, speaks four distinct languages, and authored the 2025 book Dare to Dream: A Small-town Kid's Journey to NASA. His professional career currently focuses on bridging advanced aerospace engineering, deep space exploration, and defense technology through applied artificial intelligence.