Mechanical Engineer · MASc Candidate

About Dante

Building surgical robotics that work in the real world — reliable, sterilizable, and designed alongside the clinicians who use them.

Undergrad GPA

4.3

Scholarships

2 National

Publications

DARS 2024

Education

Academic Journey

Sep 2025 – Present

MASc, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

University of Toronto · Robotics specialization

Researching handheld flexible surgical tools at SickKids (PCIGITI). Supervised by Dr. Dale Podolsky and Dr. Thomas Looi.

Sep 2020 – May 2025

BASc, Mechanical Engineering (Materials)

Queen's University · Kingston, ON

Final Year GPA 4.3 / 4.3 · Multiple Dean's Scholar terms (≥3.5 GPA) · Undergraduate TA (Robotics Design, Fall 2023)

CSWA · SolidWorks Advanced Part & Surface Modeling Certification
GD&T Fundamentals (ASME Y14.5)
SolidWorks · ANSYS · MATLAB · Python · Arduino/C++ · Isaac Sim

Technical Skills

Capabilities

CAD & GD&T

Expert

FEA (ANSYS)

Advanced

DFMEA / V&V

Advanced

Python / MATLAB

Proficient

Arduino / C++

Proficient

AI / Robotics

Proficient

Current · SickKids PCIGITI

Handheld Flexible Surgical Device

Sep 2025 – Present · MASc Graduate Research

Novel handheld flexible instrument to improve accessibility and reduce system complexity in pediatric craniosynostosis procedures
Co-designing directly with Dr. Dale Podolsky (MD, PhD, FRCSC) and Dr. Thomas Looi — requirements flow from clinical reality, not the bench
Sterilization, usability, and reliability as primary constraints; validation via DFMEA and experimental testing protocols

PCIGITI = Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Centre for Image-Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, located at The Hospital for Sick Children
Craniosynostosis: premature fusion of skull sutures in infants, requiring surgical correction — the research targets improved tool design for these procedures
Funded by SickKids Restracomp Scholarship ($35,000/yr × 2) and CIHR CGRS-M ($27,000/12 mo)

Previous Research · McMaster University

LCD Prototyping & PCB Validation

Sep 2018 – Jan 2019 · Engineering Intern under Dr. Adrian Kitai

Contributed to high-resolution LCD prototyping research; PCB design, fabrication, and validation
Fabricated and tested 16 PCBs; improved prototyping efficiency ~15% through procedural documentation

Featured Scholarships

CIHR · Federal · 2026

Canada Graduate Research Scholarship–Master's (CGRS‑M)

$27,000 12 months Health Research

SickKids RTC · Institutional · 2025

SickKids Restracomp Scholarship

$35,000 / yr 2 years Basic Science

Additional Recognition

May 2025

George Christie Design Award

Queen's University · Outstanding performance in design and product innovation — OmniCube thesis

2025

PEO Kingston Student Paper Competition — 2nd Place

Professional Engineers Ontario · OmniCube modular robotics paper

Oct 2024

DARS Symposium Demonstration

International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems · New York City · D. Pereira, C. Mackinnon, M. Robertson

Good medical devices are not just technically correct — they survive autoclaves, fit a surgeon's hand after a long shift, and work reliably on the thousandth use. I design from those constraints forward, not backward from the bench.

Clinical first

Requirements come from surgeons and patients, not from what's easiest to build. Co-design is non-negotiable.

Reliability as baseline

A device that works 998 times and fails on number 999 is not acceptable. Engineering rigor is how we honor trust.

Sterilization is a feature

Designing for reprocessing from day one — not retrofitted. Autoclaves are part of the design constraint set.

Translate or it didn't happen

Research that stays on the bench changes nothing. The goal is tools in operating rooms, helping real children.

About Dante

Academic Journey

Capabilities

Handheld Flexible Surgical Device

LCD Prototyping & PCB Validation

Contact