Power Tools 101: An Endowed Assistant Professorship

February 27, 2009

At age 30, Katherine Kuchenbecker is one of Penn's youngest professors. She is also among its most celebrated.

A pioneer in the burgeoning fields of haptics and teleoperation -- the study of touch and the design of robotic systems that can create compelling mechanical illusions -- Kuchenbecker was highly recruited right out of graduate school, receiving offers at five top universities. But it was Penn's that she accepted, drawn by the University's unique community of scholars, rich opportunities for collaboration, and that rarest of commodities: an endowed assistant professorship.

Dr. Kuchenbecker is now the Skirkanich Assistant Professor of Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, directing the Penn Haptics Group of the GRASP robotics lab -- and adding muscle to Penn engineering's already strong robotics group and design initiatives. An expert in haptics, Katherine designs new machines that allows users to touch, feel and interact with simulated worlds through a "haptograph", the same way we are able to see the world through photographs.

Kuckenbecker also enjoys designing and manufacturing new tools, such as the NeoDriver, a needle driver used in neurological surgery. The NeoDriver allows a surgeon to adjust the angle of his suture needle with just a touch of a finger, without having to move the instrument or use the other hand. See the NeoDriver in action in this brief video clip.

[more projects] [Kuckenbecker's homepage]

Among Penn's most powerful tools in the battle for rising stars, an endowed assistant professorship offers a young faculty member the prestige of a named position, vital resources for research, and a strong sense of University commitment at one of the most challenging periods in her academic life.

"From the beginning it was very clear that Penn was willing to invest in me and in my future," says Kuchenbecker, "I interviewed at a lot of schools, and there are many great universities in the world, but Penn is truly special. There's excellence across the board in all the different disciplines, departments, and schools that really makes it clear that you are part of a vibrant, multifaceted community."

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