Robotic surgery developer hires grad inspired by mothers procedure

A December 2024 graduate of Missouri University of Science and Technology is putting his knowledge and skills to work for the company behind the robotic system used to perform his mother’s minimally invasive cancer surgery.

Pictured above: Matthew Stehlin celebrates his graduation from Missouri S&T with his mother Amy’s dog, Poppy. Photo by Michael Pierce/Missouri S&T.

"A little over a year ago, when I heard the doctor planned to use a da Vinci system, I thought the company that developed it, called Intuitive, would be somewhere I wanted to check out. Last summer, I completed an internship with Intuitive, and it became clear this was where I wanted to work," says Matthew Stehlin, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering.

Robotic surgery developer hires grad from S&T: Intuitive, maker of the da Vinci system used in his mother’s surgery, now employs him as a RISE engineer

After graduating from S&T, he started working in Sunnyvale, California, as a RISE engineer. RISE stands for Rotations at Intuitive Science and Engineering and is a program that has Intuitive employees work in four different areas of the company in six-month stints before determining where they will fit best.

Throughout his life, Stehlin has always aimed to have a diverse skillset, which also made the RISE position appealing. His rationale for this thirst for knowledge is to be prepared to tackle new challenges and open new doors both in his life and career. He says this mindset fits well with the theme of National Engineers Week 2025, which is "Design Your Future."

"Any time I can learn something new, I think of it like gaining experience points in a game. Each new skill helps me level up, making me more effective in real-life challenges," says the Greensboro, North Carolina, native.

One example of this is how early in his S&T career, as a member of the Mars Rover Design Team, he learned how to use both a CNC mill and a manual mill to manufacture parts for the rover’s suspension. He also became more confident with computer-aided design software thanks to his design team experience.

Stehlin says this helped him stay a step ahead of the game when similar concepts were covered in his classes, and this knowledge also came in handy when he completed a cooperative learning experience and multiple internships. 

At S&T, he also regularly took advantage of the Makers Studio in the Innovation Lab and improved his skills in everything from woodworking to soldering to 3D printing.

Now, he is focused on learning as much as he can about Intuitive’s operations and what role he can play long term.

"When I come to work every day, it feels great knowing that my efforts will help other people, just like the da Vinci system already did for my mom. Being a student at Missouri S&T, my internships, the additional learning opportunities I pursued - all of this combined has really helped prepare me for this time in my life, and I am excited to see what comes next," he says.

Stehlin takes a selfie to mark his first day on the job at Intuitive

Photo courtesy of Stehlin.