Siobhan Rigby Oca

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

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. 


Appointments and Affiliations

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

Contact Information

  • Email Address: siobhan.rigby@duke.edu

Education

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

Research Interests

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

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 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
  • EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
  • ECE 392: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 383: Introduction to Robotics and Automation
  • BME 590: Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Oca, S. R., and B. Hament. “Implementing and Using ROS in Undergraduate Robotics Curricula.” In ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings, 2024.
  • Oca, S. R., J. L. Velasco, K. Lindstrom, L. J. Bridgeman, and D. M. Buckland. “Trust, Safety and Efficacy of Autonomous Robotic Ultrasound Vascular Imaging Collection on Human Subjects.” In 2024 33rd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (ROMAN), 1483–90. IEEE, 2024.
  • Oca, S., and G. M. Lipp. “Board 147: Work-in-Progress: The Effect of Summarizing a Research Article on Students' Area of Robotics Interest.” In ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings, 2023.
  • Prakash, Ravi, Kent K. Yamamoto, Siobhan R. Oca, Weston Ross, and Patrick J. Codd. “Brain-Mimicking Phantom for Photoablation and Visualization.” Int Symp Med Robot 2023 (April 2023). https://doi.org/10.1109/ismr57123.2023.10130243.
  • Rigby Oca, S., A. Strong, J. Havas, D. M. Buckland, and L. J. Bridgeman. “Development and Testing of a Durable and Novel Breast Phantom for Robotic Autonomous Ultrasound Systems.” Journal of Medical Robotics Research 7, no. 4 (December 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1142/S2424905X22410100.