RESEARCH TECHNICIAN I Full Time NEW

School of Medicine Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation’s top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Be You.

Research Assistant (Robotic Manipulation & Multimodal Closed-Loop Control for Ultrasonic Aspirator)

Position Summary

We are seeking a Research Assistant to develop and validate a real-time, closed-loop robotic system for precision manipulation of an ultrasonic aspirator (e.g., Sonopet) toward autonomous and clinically relevant resection workflows. The role spans robotic control, sensor integration, multimodal learning, and experimental evaluation in a lab-to-clinic translation setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Real-time robotic control: Develop and deploy real-time control algorithms for a robotic manipulator arm to precisely manipulate an ultrasonic aspirator with sub-millimeter accuracy, including calibration, tracking, and motion execution.
• Multimodal sensor integration: Integrate imaging and force-feedback sensors with the robotic system and aspirator, ensuring synchronized acquisition, low-latency processing, and reliable hardware/software interfaces.
• Data analysis & pattern discovery: Analyze force and ultrasonic aspirator data streams to identify discriminative patterns linked to tissue interaction and operating conditions.
• Tissue classification & settings optimization: Design and implement a multimodal architecture (e.g., force + aspirator signals ± imaging) to classify tissue types and infer optimal device settings for safe and effective resection.
• Closed-loop autonomy: Use trained models to provide real-time feedback and enable closed-loop resection behaviors (e.g., adjust motion, operating parameters, or stop conditions based on tissue-state estimation).
• Experimental validation: Plan, execute, and document experiments; quantify accuracy, latency, robustness, and safety metrics; iterate on system performance based on results.
• Technical writing & dissemination: Prepare internal technical reports, assist with manuscript writing, figures, and documentation for public dissemination.
• Team collaboration: Participate in lab meetings and regular advisor check-ins; contribute to project planning and translation strategy to move the system toward clinical relevance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, ECE, CS, or related field.
• Hands-on experience with robotic manipulation and control (kinematics/dynamics, trajectory generation, feedback control).
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++; experience with ROS/ROS2 or similar robotics frameworks.
• Experience integrating sensors (force/torque, vision/imaging) and building real-time data pipelines.
• Experience with multimodal machine learning, reinforcement learning, or real-time classification for robotics.
• Familiarity with ultrasonic surgical tools or medical robotics workflows (a plus, not required).
• Prior experience with experimental design, calibration, and performance evaluation for closed-loop systems.

Core Competencies

• Systems thinking across hardware/software integration
• Rigor in validation, safety-minded design, and reproducibility
• Clear technical communication and collaborative execution

Work Environment

Collaborative robotics lab environment with regular advisor interaction, cross-disciplinary teamwork, and a translational focus bridging algorithm development, system integration, and clinically motivated evaluation.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

N/A

Level Characteristics

N/A

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires an Associate’s degree in botany, biology, zoology, psychology or other science related scientific field.

Experience

None required above education/training requirement OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Degrees, Licensures, Certifications

None required above education/training requirement OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Anticipated Pay Range: Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $18.00 to USD $26.49. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs, generous retirement benefits, and a wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs to eligible team members. Learn more at: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/

Equal Opportunity Employer: Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy- related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and reasonable accommodation(s) can be requested with Duke Access and Accommodations Services (email: DAAS@duke.edu; phone: 919-668-1267).