Post-Doc in Telesurgery Systems

Organisation/Company Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Research Field Engineering Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 7 Apr 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

Offer Description

Commitment & contract: Post-Doc, 24 months

Location: Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Via San Quirico 19D, 16163 Genova (GE), Italy

Step into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future!

At 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.

We 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.

THE TEAM

You 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.

The 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.

BRL 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.

THE PROJECT

This 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.

The 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 R&D towards advanced functionalities and capabilities.

In 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 user interfaces and control systems for telesurgery. The work will contribute to the development and clinical assessment of a next-generation robotic system for transoral laser microsurgery.

THE ROLE

The 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 the design, implementation and testing of user interfaces for systems integration, telesurgery and autonomous operations. The work will involve extensive experimentation with our partner surgeons, with testing both in the lab (based on a realistic surgical setup) and in the operating room (during the later phase of clinical trials). The position requires physical presence in the lab at IIT in Genova, Italy. Remote work is not possible.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Design, implementation and testing of user interfaces for systems integration, telesurgery and the management of autonomous microsurgical operations
• Contribution to the documentation needed for clinical trials
• Extensive experimentation with our partner surgeons
• Preparation of reports and scientific papers

References

• Lapo 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, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, Print ISSN: , Online ISSN: , , October 6, 2025
• Acemoglu, A., Krieglstein, J., Caldwell, D., Mora, F., Guastini, L., Trimarchi, M., Vinciguerra, A., Hysenbelli, J., Delsanto, M., Barboni, O., Baggioni, S., Peretti, G., Mattos, L., 5G Robotic Telesurgery: Remote Transoral Laser Microsurgeries on a Cadaver, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, , vol. 2(4), pp. 511-518, November 2020
• Andrea Luigi Camillo Carobbio, Francesco Missale, Marco Fragale, Francesco Mora, Luca Guastini, Giampiero Parrinello, Frank Rikki Mauritz Canevari, Giorgio Peretti and Leonardo S. Mattos, Transoral laser microsurgery: feasibility of a new exoscopic HD-3D system coupled with free beam or fiber laser, Lasers in Medical Science, vol. 36, pp. 1865–1872, , January 2021
• Olivieri, E., Barresi, G., Caldwell, D., Mattos, L., Haptic Feedback for Control and Active Constraints in Contactless Laser Surgery: Concept, Implementation and Evaluation, IEEE Transactions on Haptics, vol. 11, issue 2, pp. 241-254, ISSN , , April-June 2018
• Shunlei Li, Ajay Gunalan, Muhammad Adeel Azam, Veronica Penza, Darwin G. Caldwell, Leonardo S. Mattos, Auto-CALM: Autonomous Computer-Assisted Laser Microsurgery, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, , 6(4), pp. , November 2024

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• PhD degree in engineering, computer science or related field
• Knowledge of human factors, usability, user interfaces
• Experience with the design and development of graphical user interfaces
• Experience in systems integration
• Experience in teleoperation of robotic systems
• Strong publication record
• Strong interest in medical devices
• Capacity to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment
• Possess Analytical Reasoning skills and a growth mindset Proficiency in spoken and written English
• Availability to work in Genova, Italy

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Experience in automation and/or autonomous systems
• Experience in medical robotics
• Research experience in the context of robotic microsurgery
• Experience in the development of medical devices under MDR
• Knowledge of study design and experimental data analysis
• Experience in clinical trials
• Ability to work in a challenging and international environment
• Proficiency in Italian

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• A yearly gross salary ranging between 37500€ and 45000€
• Private health care coverage depending on your role and contract
• Candidates 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.

This open position is financed by the European Commission within the AIRCARE project (GA No. ).

Please submit your application using the online form and including a detailed CV, university transcripts, cover letter, and contact details of 2 references.

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