Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Joe Tranquillo as the university’s next executive vice president of academics, effective July 1, 2026.
Tranquillo joins MSOE from Bucknell University, where he currently serves as the associate provost for transformative teaching and learning and a professor of biomedical engineering. He was the first direct hire in Bucknell’s biomedical engineering program, which has since grown to nine faculty members and approximately 120 students, and has been ranked the No. 1 undergraduate biomedical engineering program five times by U.S. News & World Report.
“Dr. Joe Tranquillo is a transformative leader whose passion for students and commitment to educational innovation make him an exceptional fit for MSOE,” said MSOE President Eric T. Baumgartner, Ph.D. “Joe’s approach aligns powerfully with our vision to set the standard for preparing leaders to solve the diverse technical challenges of the 21st century. I look forward to his many contributions to MSOE’s future success.”
A nationally recognized leader in engineering education, Tranquillo is a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His contributions have been honored with numerous awards, including the National Biomedical Engineering Teaching Award, the ASEE Theo Pilkington Outstanding Educator Award, and the AIMBE Education Impact Award.
Tranquillo is an accomplished teacher‑scholar, authoring five books—including an international award‑winning textbook—and over 200 articles and conference proceedings. His work with undergraduate students has been featured by the Discovery Channel, TEDx, the Gates Foundation, Google, LinkedIn, and CNN Health. His research and educational initiatives have received funding from NASA, NIH, NSF, the Kern Family Foundation, VentureWell, the Degenstein Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
A seasoned academic collaborator, Tranquillo served as director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Bucknell, leading the center and guiding the faculty through the COVID-19 pandemic and transition to remote learning; was co‑director of Bucknell’s Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management; co‑founded the Bucknell Innovation Group and the KEEN Winter Interdisciplinary Design Experience; and taught or consulted internationally across South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
