Joe's computing career began at the University of Illinois where he worked with the Control Data computer systems at the university’s computing center and PLATO systems. Joe then worked for CDC and joined Purdue's Computer Aided Design and Graphics Lab (CADLAB) where he explored computer graphics and supercomputing. He currently works for the Network for Computational Nanotechnology where he produces and curates content for nanoHUB.org.

Joe has a MSME from Purdue, has published several articles on computer graphics, including Graphics Gems. Joe’s first service was in 1981 as a student volunteer. He has volunteered and chaired various committees for SIGGRAPH.