Senior Human Factors Research Engineer

About the role

The Human Factors Research Engineer (HFRE) is part of the Human Factors (HF) organization at Intuitive, a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care. This role focuses on experimental and real-world behavioral research to de-risk product design strategies, define user requirements, and establish product claims. The HFRE works closely with executive leadership, product managers, and various engineering and clinical teams to ensure that the research is aligned with business demands and translates into actionable insights for product design.

Responsibilities

• Propose and position research plans across a range of products and stakeholders
• Conduct literature reviews to justify research strategy and study design
• Design studies, author protocols, and manage ethics reviews
• Manage sampling, logistics, and operational tactics for study preparation
• Lead data processing and analysis, and author scientific manuscripts
• Translate scientific evidence into actionable recommendations for product design strategies, requirements, and claims
• Identify behavioral markers and characterize individual differences in learning and performance
• Develop and validate experimental conditions in virtual and physical environments
• Prototype and iterate on designs, develop tests, and deliver high-quality software in Python or C++ for ML performance modeling
• Build and validate bioinstrumentation and psychometrics for reliable measurement of human performance

Requirements

• Minimum 6 years of relevant research and engineering experience in product development industry
• Minimum 6 years of leading human subjects research
• Ability to process and analyze large quantitative datasets from human subjects and robotic systems
• Ability to analyze large volumes of data from mixed methods research into usable communications
• Ability to develop experimental conditions and stimuli in virtual and physical environments
• Ability to translate findings from studies into product requirements for complex, software-controlled electro-mechanical medical devices
• Experience with authoring and reviewing scientific manuscripts
• Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work with and across various groups and levels of management within the organization
• Knowledge of user-centered design and human factors engineering principles

Qualifications

• Minimum MS in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Psychology, Biomechanics with emphasis on Human-Computer Interaction, Robotics, or a related field
• Experience in research on Neuromotor/Sensorimotor Control and Learning
• Experience in research on Neuroscience (preferred)
• Experience in Computational Psychology or Data Science (preferred)
• Experience in Differential Psychology (preferred)
• Experience with bioinstrumentation (preferred)
• Experience in medical device or similar regulated industry (preferred)