Title: Senior Roboticist and Researcher
Company: Intuitive Surgical Inc.
Location: Santa Clara, California, United States
Onder Erin, Ph.D., Senior Roboticist and Researcher at Intuitive Surgical, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in research and development in robotics.
Dr. Erin, a distinguished leader in medical technology, is renowned for his groundbreaking work in developing miniature wireless magnetic robots that are revolutionizing minimally invasive surgeries. Since 2024, he has served as a senior robotics and control engineer at Intuitive Surgical, where he has been instrumental in advancing robotic motion analysis and integrating state-of-the-art features into next-generation surgical systems. His deep expertise in robotics is further demonstrated by his developments as a senior R&D system integration engineer at Auris Health, a division of Johnson & Johnson, where he played a key role in driving innovative solutions in robotics and digital technologies.
Prior to his role at Intuitive Surgical, Dr. Erin served as an external scientific consultant for Weinberg Medical Physics, Inc. from 2021 to 2023, where he contributed to innovative projects in medical physics. Concurrently, he was recruited as a postdoctoral researcher at The Johns Hopkins University from 2021 to 2023, with which he was previously active as an instructor from 2021 to 2022. His academic journey includes significant contributions as a research assistant at the Nanorobotics Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University from 2014 to 2020 and as a scientific researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems from 2017 to 2021.
Dr. Erin’s academic credentials are impressive, having initially honoured as a valedictorian at his Bachelor of Science in Mechatronics Engineering from Sabanci University in 2014. He continued his educational journey at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was admitted directly into a Ph.D. program in mechanical/robotics engineering, bypassing the traditional Master’s degree due to his exceptional academic performance and skills. As part of this combined path, he was awarded both a Master’s and a Doctor of Philosophy degree upon completing his Ph.D. in 2020. Dr. Erin’s accomplishments laid the foundation for his stellar work in wireless magnetic robotics, which has been recognized through various patents and publications.
In addition to his primary endeavors, Dr. Erin remains involved with several industry-related organizations. From 2009 to 2014, he proudly co-founded and presided over the Nanotechnology Student Organization at Sabanci University. He has also been a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). His commitment to advancing the field is evident through his numerous published works, including his acclaimed doctoral thesis on wireless actuation and control of magnetic robots using MRI devices.
Furthermore, Dr. Erin has exhibited a deep commitment to his community through his civic pursuits. To continue pioneering developments in his area of expertise, he founded the Advanced Robotics and Digital Solutions Innovation Group at Johnson & Johnson. He has likewise volunteered as a professional career mentor with Braven and participated on advisory boards such as the Turkish Nobel Community. To support his vision and process, he was presented with a research sciences grant by the Max Planck Institute. Moreover, Dr. Erin was honored with valedictorian status at Sabanci University in reflection of his stellar achievements in academia.
In his personal life, Dr. Erin enjoys reading, traveling, and performing on the piano, interests which he happily shares with his spouse, Crina-Antonia Ivancu. He has attributed his wealth of success to his motivation, his enthusiasm, and the opportunities and possibilities offered by the field of science to achieve his ambitions. Among the many highlights of his career, he fondly recalls the successful implementation of magnetic robots that can maneuver and be controlled within a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which enables operators to utilize a joystick to control the movements of the robots and monitor internal body conditions. Likewise, he is proud of his innovative demonstration of robotic-assisted tissue suturing utilizing magnetic fields at The Johns Hopkins University. Looking toward the future, Dr. Erin hopes to parlay his passion for advancing medical robotics into additional pioneering research that will help integrate robotics and science into the everyday human experience.
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