Shane Farritor

Shane Farritor is an American mechanical engineer and roboticist who is the David B. and Nancy K. Lederer Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His research focuses on surgical robotics, railroad safety, and robotic systems, and he is a co-founder of Virtual Incision Corporation and MRail Inc.

Early life and education Farritor is from Ravenna, Nebraska, one of seven children. Farritor attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received a M.S. in 1994 and a Ph.D. in 1998. This research, funded by a National Academy of Sciences grant, was conducted in collaboration with graduate students and computer science professor Steve Goddard. In early 2016, Virtual Incision relocated to Nebraska Innovation Campus. As of 2024, his research on surgical robots has included tests conducted in space. including DOGE software engineer Luke Farritor.