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Siobhan Rigby Oca

Assistant Professor of The Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Overview


Siobhan Oca's research focusses on medical robotics and robotics education. Specifically, she is interested in developing safe and effective autonomous medical procedures. Her doctoral research focussed on development of autonomous ultrasound scanning with robotic arm, implemented in a human study, which also assessed trust and safety. Since starting as faculty, she studies the methods used in teaching robotics to understand their efficacy in student learning and perception of robotics as a future career field.  

She leads the Masters programs in Robotics for MEMS and is passionate about robotics curricula development that prepares students for their future in robotics and impacts on society, including through her Case Studies of Ethics in Robotics and Autonomy course. 


Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor of The Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science · 2022 - Present Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Pratt School of Engineering
Assistant Director for Robotics and Autonomy in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science · 2022 - Present Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Pratt School of Engineering

Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 2022 Ph.D.
University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine · 2017 M.S.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · 2016 B.S.