Postdoc: Vision-Based Robotic Surgery Autonomy

pOrganisation/Company Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Research Field Engineering Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 31 Dec 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Country Italy Type of Contract Other Job Status Other Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No /ph3Offer Description /h3pemCommitment contract: Post-Doc, 24 months /em /ppemLocation: Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Via San Quirico 19D, 16163 Genova (GE), Italy /em /ppstrongemStep into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future! /em /strong /ppAt IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds. /ppWe are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential. /ppstrongTHE TEAM /strong /ppYou will be working in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate, each with their expertise, to carry out a scientific activity with a shared research goal. /ppThe Biomedical Robotics Lab is coordinated by Dr. Leonardo De Mattos, who is also the coordinator of AIRCARE. This is multi-disciplinary group, within which researchers from a range of scientific and engineering backgrounds collaborate to create novel solutions to key problems in robotics. The lab focuses on research and development of human-centered medical robotic technologies, including technologies for microsurgery, disease detection and diagnosis, assistive user interfaces, and general healthcare. /ppBRL is part of the Advanced Robotics research unit, directed by Prof. Darwin Caldwell. This large department focuses on an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to robot design and control, and the development of novel robotic components and technologies for applications in medical, surgical and rehabilitation robotics, exoskeletons and force augmentation, manipulation and dexterous manipulators, telepresence and teleoperation, industrial automation and robotics, active perception and learning, inspection robotics, hyper-redundant robots, robot dynamics and robots for hazardous environments. /ppstrongTHE PROJECT /strong /ppThis position is part of the Horizon Europe project AIRCARE, an Innovation Action dedicated to the advancement of robotics and AI technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) diseases. The aim of the project is to assess these novel technologies through clinical trials, i.e., through tests involving human patients. /ppThe project is ongoing and we have just finished the first phase dedicated to the definition of requirements, specifications, design and preliminary prototyping. We are now starting the super exciting phase of user testing, iterative systems improvements, preparation for the clinical trials, and RD towards advanced functionalities and capabilities. /ppIn this context, IIT’s Biomedical Robotics Lab (BRL) is seeking to appoint a highly motivated Post-Doc to a key role involving the development, deployment and advanced research towards higher levels of autonomy in robotic surgery. Specifically, we are looking for a colleague with experience in vision systems and vision-based control to contribute to research and development of the next-generation systems for transoral laser microsurgery. /ppstrongTHE ROLE /strong /ppThe selected candidate will join AIRCARE’s consortium and work in a multi-disciplinary team of engineers and surgeons. He/she will contribute to refinement, validation, deployment and clinical testing of a novel robot-assisted laser microsurgery system for the upper aero-digestive tract. Core focus will be on vision systems for adding autonomy to our surgical robots. Testing of some of these functionalities in the operating room is foreseen. For advanced functionalities, testing in the lab based on a realistic surgical setup and ex-vivo tissues is envisaged. The work will involve extensive experimentation with our partner surgeons (both in the lab and in the OR). The position requires physical presence in the lab at IIT in Genova, Italy. Remote work is not possible. /ppYour main responsibilities will be: /pulliDesign, implementation and testing of vision systems for surgical task autonomy /liliContribution to the documentation needed for clinical trials /liliExtensive experimentation with our partner surgeons /liliPreparation of reports and scientific papers /li /ulpstrongReferences /strong /pulliShunlei Li, Ajay Gunalan, Muhammad Adeel Azam, Veronica Penza, Darwin G. Caldwell, Leonardo S. Mattos, “Auto-CALM: Autonomous Computer-Assisted Laser Microsurgery,” emIEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics /em, , 6(4), pp. , November 2024 /liliMuhammad Adeel Azam, Claudio Sampieri, Alessandro Ioppi, Chiara Baldini, Shunlei Li, Sara Moccia, Giorgio Peretti and Leonardo S. Mattos, “Automatic Delineation of Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma during Endoscopy,” emBiomedical Signal Processing Control /em, , 2 November 2023 /liliLapo Carrieri, Michele Di Lucchio, Luca Giannoni, Alperen Acemoglu, and Leonardo S. Mattos, “Design and Control of a Novel Computer-Assisted Laser Microsurgery System Based on Rotary Voice Coil Actuators,” emIEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics /em, Print ISSN: , Online ISSN: , , October 6, 2025 /liliMaria Koskinopoulou, Alperen Acemoglu, Leonardo S. Mattos, “Dual Robotic-Arm Collaborative System for Autonomous Venous Access Based on Ultrasound Scanning and Bioimpedance Sensing Technology,” emProceedings of the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation /em (ICRA 2023), London, UK, , May, 2023 /liliPenza, V., Salerno, D., Acemoglu, A., Ortiz, J., Mattos, L., “Hybrid Visual Servoing for Autonomous Robotic Laser Tattoo Removal,” emProceedings of the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems /em (IROS 2019), , Macau, China, November 2019 /li /ulpstrongESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS /strong /pulliPhD degree in engineering, computer science or related field /liliExperience with vision systems /liliExperience in control of robotic systems /liliExperience in medical robotics /liliStrong publication record /liliStrong interest in medical devices /liliCapacity to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment /liliPossess Analytical Reasoning skills and a growth mindset /liliProficiency in spoken and written English /liliAvailability to work in Genoa, Italy /li /ulpstrongADDITIONAL SKILLS /strong /pulliExperience with real-time vision systems /liliExperience in the control of robotic arms, such as the Kuka Med, UR5, or Franka /liliExperience in automation and/or autonomous systems /liliKnowledge of study design and experimental data analysis /liliResearch experience in the context of robotic microsurgery /liliExperience in the development of medical devices under MDR /liliExperience in clinical trials /liliProficiency in Italian /liliAbility to work in a challenging and international environment /li /ulpstrongCOMPENSATION PACKAGE /strong /pulliA yearly gross salary ranging between 37500€ and 45000€ /liliPrivate health care coverage depending on your role and contract /liliCandidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years. /li /ulpThis open position is financed by the European Commission within the AIRCARE project (GA No. ). /ppemPlease submit your application using the online form and including a detailed CV, university transcripts, cover letter, and contact details of 2 references. /em /ppThe position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. /p #J-18808-Ljbffr