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 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
- Director of Masters Studies 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
- MENG 552: Master of Engineering Supplemental Internship
- MENG 551: Master of Engineering Internship/Project Assessment
- MENG 550: Master of Engineering Internship/Project
- 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 492: Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 491: Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 490: Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 442: Introduction to Robotics and Automation
- ME 392: Undergraduate Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- EGRCOOP 501: Engineering Graduate Cooperative Education 1
- EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
- ECE 383: Introduction to Robotics and Automation
- BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
In the News
- Building Better Robots — and Better Teams (Mar 23, 2026)
- Not Your Parents’ Robots: Preparing Future Tech Leaders (Jan 30, 2025)
- Pratt Researchers Imagine Robots of Tomorrow, From the Surgical Table to Outer …
- ‘Character Forward’ Aims to Build Better Engineers (Oct 29, 2024)
- It All Connects to Climate (May 23, 2023)
- Engineering an Engaging Curriculum in Robotics (Apr 25, 2023 | Pratt School of …
- Siobhan Rigby Oca: Designing Robotics Education at Duke (Aug 19, 2022 | Pratt S…
- Undergraduate Course in Robotics Gets Reboot with Help of Engineering Doctoral …
- Bass Instructional Fellowships Broaden Teaching, Career Opportunities (Nov 10, …
Representative Publications
- Chen, D., R. Prakash, V. Y. Wang, Z. Chen, S. Dias, D. M. Buckland, L. J. Bridgeman, S. R. Oca, and B. P. Mann. “Design and Evaluation of a Compliant Quasi-Direct Drive End-Effector for Safe Robotic Ultrasound Imaging.” IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, January 1, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMRB.2026.3699216.
- Kusa, E., and S. Oca. “Lessons Learned in Developing ROS Asynchronous Tutorials for Robotics course: Guided versus Inquiry based Learning.” In ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Conference Proceedings, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--56917.
- Haughey, A., B. Mann, and S. Oca. “Case Study: Using Synthetic Datasets to Examine Bias in Machine Learning Algorithms for Resume Screening.” In ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Conference Proceedings, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--56071.
- Oca, S., S. Tantum, C. Kim, and F. Suleiman. “ETHICS-2025 Session B3 – Workshop: Engineering Education for an Ethical Future: Equipping Engineers for Emerging Technologies.” In Ethics 2025 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering Science and Technology Emerging Technologies Ethics and Social Justice, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1109/ETHICS65148.2025.11098327.
- Wang, V. Y., R. Prakash, S. R. Oca, E. J. Locicero, P. J. Codd, and L. J. Bridgeman. “Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control for Volumetric Ablation in Robotic Laser Surgery.” In Proceedings IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 4527–33, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA55743.2025.11127624.