Agile surgical robotics featuring embodied intelligence based on local sensing

(ref. BAP-2022-694)

Laatst aangepast : 3/10/2022

The successful applicant will become part of the Robot Assisted Surgery (RAS) group (http://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/pma/research/ras) and the Smart Instrumentation (SI) research group belonging to the department of Mechanical Engineering of KU Leuven. RAS/SI are involved in several national or EU-funded collaborative projects. Our ambition is to build smarter and effective robotic assistance for various surgical applications. We are a growing, dynamic, multi-disciplinary research group with links to micro-precision manufacturing, mechanical design, robotics and biomedical applications. The group maintains tight and multiple collaborations with UZ Leuven, the largest (university) hospital in Belgium, which is located at 10 minutes ride (bicycle) of the department. Our collaboration with the hospital urges us to respect the clinical needs and account for the clinical reality. Research in RAS/SI can be quite theoretical but always strives to reach validation in a (pre)clinical setting.

Responsibilities

• Research and research management in FAROS (https://h2020faros.eu/) - FAROS is a Horizon Europe project coordinated by RAS/SI aiming to develop functional accurate robotic surgery coordinated by our group. Within this project we collaborate with King's College London, Sorbonne University, University of Zurich (Balgrist) and SpineGuard to push robotic approaches for PSP (pedicle screw placement) and ELD (Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy).
  
• Contributing to the development of smart robotic applications accross various surgical disciplines
• Supervising PhD candidates from our group active in the FAROS project and in other projects in our group related to your expertise
• Disseminating high-quality research through publications, talks and the project home pages
• Contributing or pulling new proposals for related research

Profile

• Contributing or pulling new proposals for related research
• We are seeking highly motivated, goal-oriented candidates with a strong interest in developing technical tools for assisting surgery or clinical interventions
• The candidate preferably has a record track in medical imaging of signal processing, possibly in connection with medical robotics application
• Good knowledge of c/c++ and/or python
• Candidates must be in the possession of a Ph.D in Engineering, Computer Science, Medical Imaging or equivalent
• Candidates must have good social skills, able to collaborate in multi-disciplinary teams, but should also be enthusiast to steer and supervise students, PhD candidates and other staff
• Candidates must be fluent in English.

Offer

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), is pleased to offer a fully funded postdoc position for 1 year which can be extended upon a positive evaluation. The candidate will take on a leading position in the research groups and will have full access to all the equipment of the research groups. The candidate will be involved in the FAROS project and able to push forwards robotic spine surgery, but will also have to opportunity to contribute in other clinical fields where are group is active.

More information
Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Emmanuel Vander Poorten, tel.: +32 16 32 25 28, mail: [email protected] or Mr. Mouloud Ourak, tel.: +32 16 37 90 54, mail: [email protected].

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at [email protected].