Senior Human Factors Research Engineer (Sunnyvale)

Company DescriptionIt started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.Job DescriptionThe Human Factors Research Engineer (HFRE) is part of the Human Factors (HF) organization that aims to maximize usability and desirability of Intuitive products while minimizing risk through scientific research and usability engineering. HFRE is focused on end-to-end experimental and real-world behavioral research aligned with business demands that (a) de-risk product design strategies for future development, (b) translate evidence to define user requirements, (c) establish product claims. This role works closely with executive leadership, product managers, mechanical engineers, computer scientists, clinical engineers, clinical scientists, health economists, and data scientists.HFRE conducts research that is focused on the psychology, biomechanics, and physiology of end users’ underlying performance associated with robotic teleoperations. Evidence generated from these studies provide strategic insight into “what”, “why”, and “how much” end users differ in learning and performance across a range of products. This role functions in ambiguous and strategic stages of product development that involve the ability to position and conduct experimental research within a business.This role demands extensive follow-through to translate, communicate, ideate, prototype, and build novel evidence-based strategies, tools, and concepts that operationalize and inform the “intuitiveness” of commercialized and future products. This role demands quick changes in direction with capacity to define and implement strategies that have visibility across business units while maintaining focus on tactical details. This role is a unique engineering and scientific opportunity with the expectation that knowledge and skills can be applied to experimental behavioral research that actionably informs product design strategies for future development, inform product development, and establish product claims with state-of-the-art human-robot interfaces.Essential Job DutiesExperimental research design, execution, and enablement Propose and position research plans across a range of products and a myriad of internal and/or external stakeholdersAI/ Machine learning a must Conduct literature reviews that justify research strategy and study designDesign studies, author protocols, train support staff on products and protocolsManage ethics reviewsGuide sampling, legal, logistical, and operational tactics with study preparationConduct experiments end-to-end ranging in scale and complexityManage customer relationships associated with human subjectsLead data processing and analysisLead authorship and submissions of abstracts, white papers, manuscriptsTranslate and convert scientific evidence to a range of internal and external stakeholders into actional recommendations for product design strategies, product requirements, or product claimsIdentify behavioral markers associated with individual differences underlying customer learning and performanceCharacterize inferential and predictive relationship between individual differences and standard and new product metricsDevelop and maintain relationships with behavioral scientists as prospective partners to Intuitive either in direct collaboration on sponsored research or indirect collaboration on independently funded research with surgical scientistsInstrumentation and test box developmentAlign business goals, experimental research objectives, and development of experimental requirements and instrumentationDefine experimental requirements based on evidence from psychological, biomechanical, and physiological researchBuild and validate experimental conditions within virtual and physical environmentsDevelop and validate novel and OTS bioinstrumentation and psychometrics that can be implemented in experiments to reliably measure individual differences related to human performanceData scienceData extraction, transformation, processes, analysis and visualization with multiple data sources from biometrics, psychometrics, and system data logs from lab-based experiments and field-based experimentsPrototype and iterate on designs, develop tests, and deliver high-quality software in Python or C++ required for ML performance modelingDevelop Snowflake pipeline, Databricks pipelineExperience in testing BI systems and data analysis processes, including ETL processesData testing such as pre-screening raw data, vital check on completeness, integrity of data, field tests on Aggregation, Reconciliation tests, Report and App testing associated with data collection from lab-based experimentsExecute end-to-end testing of ETL processes, including data extraction, transformation, loading, and reporting, to ensure accuracy, completeness, and data integrity from lab-based and field-based experimentsCreate and analyze requirements and deliver required project documents test strategy, testing scope and test casesManage data management governance associated with data sharing internally and externallyManage updates on systems configurations for reliable data capture pipeline from lab-based and field-based experimentsDevelopment and maintenance of data infrastructure required to synchronize, capture, process and analyze multiple data sources from research and evaluations to inform product design strategies, product development, and product claimsBuild and validate experimental conditions within virtual and physical environmentsDevelop and validate novel and OTS bioinstrumentation and psychometrics that can be implemented in experiments to reliably measure individual differences related to human performanceQualificationsBase QualificationsMinimum 6 years relevant research and engineering experience in product development industry.Minimum 6 years 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 device.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, including other engineering groups, commercial, clinical engineering, and regulatory. Excellent collaboration skills.Ability to apply user-centered design and human factors engineering principles to product research, development, and design.Required Education and TrainingMinimum MS in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Psychology, Biomechanics with emphasis on Human-Computer Interaction, Robotics, or a related field.Work ConditionsAbility to travel internationally as well as domestically (up to 25% quarterly).Primarily office-based set schedule working modelPreferred Skills and ExperienceExperience in research on Neuromotor/ Sensorimotor Control and LearningExperience in research on Neuroscience, a plusExperience in Computational Psychology or Data Science, a plus.Experience in Differential Psychology, a plus.Experience with bioinstrumentation, a plus.Experience in medical device, or similar regulated industry, a plus.Additional InformationDue to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19. Details can vary by role.Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.Mandatory NoticesU.S. Export Controls Disclaimer: In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employeeswho are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process). For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’sstart date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring nee