PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Eric Diller

Eric Diller is a mechanical engineer and roboticist whose research connects magnetic microrobots with machine learning for medical systems. He earned degrees at Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University, then began directing the University of Toronto's Microrobotics Lab in 2014. He described a magnetic microswimmer in 2016, and his lab automated microrobot fabrication in 2019. His 2022 deep-learning paper tracked capsule robots in ultrasound, and his 2025 work presented magnetic tools for minimally invasive brain surgery. He received IEEE and Connaught awards in 2020 and 2021 and a McLean Award for 2025–26; as of October 2026, he is Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Chair of Graduate Studies and Clarice Chalmers Chair in Engineering Design at the University of Toronto.

Works
133
Citations
6,484
h-index
37

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2013

    Mechanical engineering degrees

    He earns B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2013.

  2. 2014

    Directing the Microrobotics Lab

    In 2014, he begins directing the Microrobotics Lab at the University of Toronto. His work covers remote magnetic actuation of micro-scale devices, robotic manipulation and smart materials.

  3. February 2016

    A magnetic microswimmer

    In February 2016, he describes his team's microswimmer, a sheet about one-tenth of a millimetre thick and one millimetre long that undulates in a rotating magnetic field.

  4. 2019

    Automated microrobot printing

    In 2019, his lab reports an automated magnetic 3D-printing method that reduces microrobot fabrication to 20 minutes. The team programs more than 20 robot shapes and aligns magnetic particles during printing.

  5. 2020–2021

    Two research awards

    He shares the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Career Award with Alberto Rodriguez in 2020 for work on micro-scale robots. In 2021, he receives a Connaught Innovation Award for a magnetic capsule that samples the gut microbiome without invasive procedures.

  6. 2022

    Deep learning for capsule tracking

    In 2022, he coauthors a Scientific Reports paper that uses attention-based hierarchical deep learning and transfer learning to detect a capsule robot's pose and mechanism state from ultrasound images.

  7. 2025

    Magnetic tools for brain surgery

    In 2025, his team publishes a Science Robotics paper on magnetic tools for minimally invasive brain surgery. The tools include a gripper, scalpel and forceps that use external magnetic fields to grip, pull and cut tissue.

  8. 2025–2026

    A McLean Award

    In September 2026, the University of Toronto recognizes him as a 2025–26 McLean Award recipient for early-career research.

  9. As of October 2026

    Professor and graduate chair

    As of October 2026, he is Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Chair of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, and holds the Clarice Chalmers Chair in Engineering Design. His research interests include micro-scale robotics, magnetic actuation, dynamics and control, manipulation and non-invasive medical devices.

Career

  1. Since 2014University of TorontoDirector, Microrobotics Lab
  2. NowUniversity of TorontoProfessor of Mechanical Engineering
  3. NowUniversity of TorontoAssociate Chair of Graduate Studies
  4. NowUniversity of TorontoClarice Chalmers Chair in Engineering Design

Education

  1. 2013Carnegie Mellon UniversityPh.D. in mechanical engineering
  2. Case Western Reserve UniversityB.S. in mechanical engineering
  3. Case Western Reserve UniversityM.S. in mechanical engineering

From the biography.

Checked career sources: microrobotics.mie.utoronto.ca.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Eric Diller - Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering mie.utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. People | Microrobotics Lab microrobotics.mie.utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. Tiny, swimming robots could improve surgery news.engineering.utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. No assembly required: U of T Engineering researchers automate microrobotic designs news.engineering.utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. Professor Eric Diller wins IEEE Robotics & Automation Society Early Career Award mie.utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. Eric Diller recognized with Connaught Innovation Award utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  7. Early Academic Career Award in Robotics and Automation ieee-ras.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  8. Capsule robot pose and mechanism state detection in ultrasound using attention-based hierarchical deep learning | Scientific Reports nature.com. Checked 27 October 2026.
  9. Tiny robotic tools, powered by magnetic fields, could enable minimally invasive brain surgery utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.
  10. Eric Diller and Nicolas Papernot recognized with 2025-26 McLean Awards utoronto.ca. Checked 27 October 2026.