Siobhan Rigby Oca

Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Assistant Director of Master's Studies for Robotics and Autonomy, Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of MEMS

Siobhan Rigby Oca Profile Photo
Siobhan Rigby Oca Profile Photo

Research Themes

Robotics & Autonomy

Research Interests

Robotics Education, Medical Robotics, Human Robot Interaction, Engineering Education

Bio

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 has 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. 

Education

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

Positions

  • Assistant Professor of The Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
  • Assistant Director for Robotics and Autonomy in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Mara H. Wasburn Early Engineering Educator Award. American Society of Engineering Educators: Women in Engineering Division. 2024

Courses Taught

  • ME 758S: Curricular Practical Training
  • ME 592: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
  • ME 591: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
  • ME 555: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 493: Engineering Undergraduate Fellows Projects
  • ME 491: Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 490: Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 442: Introduction to Robotics and Automation
  • EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
  • ECE 495: Special Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 392: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 383: Introduction to Robotics and Automation
  • BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering

Publications