In 2001, Joi Mondisa received her Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering and began a career in industry. Later she added to her resume teaching at Triton College as an adjunct faculty member in the Engineering Technology Department.
With her teaching experience as inspiration, Joi left her full-time job to pursue a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Upon completion of her doctorate, Joi assumed a position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and now serves as Assistant Professor in the same department.
Joi’s research focuses on examining mentoring experiences and intervention programs in higher education; designing and assessing learning experiences; and resilience, grit, and persistence in engineering education. Outside of work, Joi enjoys reading, bowling, and public engagement and volunteer work.
As a UIUC undergrad, Joi was involved with the WIE GAMES program and served as a counselor and also participated in the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). In a recent WIE interview, Joi said, “I took a risk leaving my full-time job to go back to school and pursue my PhD in engineering Education and it was absolutely worth it!”
To hear more of Joi’s experience and expertise in being resilient, check out this article.