Tayfun Efe Ertop

Tayfun Efe Ertop is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He previously held roles including Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University (2023-2024), and Graduate Research Assistant roles at Vanderbilt and Middle East Technical University (2017-2023). His research focuses on soft and continuum robots, surgical robotics, bio-inspired systems, and advanced control methods.

Education:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University (2023)
• MS in Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University (2017)
• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University (2014)

Research Interests: Dr. Ertop develops robotic solutions for minimally invasive surgery, including steerable needles, continuum robots, and bio-inspired actuators. His work emphasizes sensor integration, trajectory control, and material innovation for surgical applications. Recent projects involve phase-changing metallic spines for stiffness modulation and virtual reality frameworks for surgical robot evaluation.

Awards:

• Best Presentation Award at VISE Annual Symposium (2020)
• Best Paper Finalist at ASME Dynamic Systems Conference (2020)
• Engineering Graduate Fellowship (Vanderbilt University, 2017-2018)
• TUBITAK Graduate Fellowship (2014-2017)

Advising & Grants: As faculty advisor, he mentors graduate students in surgical robotics and continuum mechanics. His work is supported by grants from IEEE and ASME memberships, with recent funding enabling advancements in thermoelectric manipulators and steerable needle technologies. He collaborates with labs like the MABE Maker Lab and Syndaver Lab for experimental validation.

Labs & Teams: Active in the University's robotics and biomedical engineering research groups, contributing to interdisciplinary projects at the Tickle College of Engineering.