Joe Martel-Foley

Joe joined Wentworth as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. Prior to joining Wentworth, Joe received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Union College, and master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering science from Harvard University. His doctoral dissertation centered on understanding the phenomenon of inertial focusing in microfluidics. His post-doctoral work applied this phenomenon to the design of medical diagnostics and blood processing systems.

At Wentworth, he has been an active member of the community contributing to a variety of student-focused efforts in advising, student success, and retention. He co-chaired the High-Value Learning Working Group during the strategic planning process in 2019. He chaired the Enrollment and Admissions Subcommittee of the faculty senate and co-led the process resulting in the University electing to utilize test-optional admissions. He was honored by our students with the President’s Award for Excellence in Advising in 2018 and spearheaded the launch of the Wentworth Engineering Honors Society, celebrating the achievements of students across engineering disciplines. His focus on student success and inclusive excellence also show up in his research, where he has been studying the introduction of bias education in foundational engineering courses as well as the integration of cross-college undergraduate research into coursework and design experiences.

Interests: Microfluidics, Inertial Focusing, Diagnostic Design, Education, Implicit Bias, Undergraduate Research, Curricular Analytics