Caleb Rucker

Caleb Rucker is an Associate Professor and holder of the B. Ray Thompson Professorship in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). He is affiliated with the Tickle College of Engineering and leads the REACH Robotics Lab. His research focuses on robotics, medical applications, continuum robots, and computer-aided surgery. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. in Engineering Mechanics and Mathematics from Lipscomb University.

Rucker's work emphasizes medical robotics, including steerable needles, surgical manipulators, and MRI-guided systems. His publications span topics like continuum robot dynamics, force modeling, and parallel manipulator design. Notable awards include the MABE Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (2015) and recognition for medical robotics research.

• Grants/Projects: NRI: Flexible Multi-Leg Robots (2014), CAREER grant for STRIDES (2017).
• Labs/Teams: REACH Robotics Lab, collaborating with institutions like Vanderbilt University.
• Professional Service: Member, IEEE.