Spotlight on Badger Alumni: chemical engineer Joe Moidl

Joe Moidl (BSChE ’94) is now the Vice President of Innovation, Technology and Quality at General Mills, but he was once a Badger engineering student, attending lectures and having a blast in Summer Lab. Moidl lives in the greater St. Paul area and in addition to speaking at our Spring 2024 Undergraduate Student Seminar, he’s agreed to share some thoughts about his time on campus and his engineering career.

How did your experience in the College of Engineering influence your career path?

My time at the University of Wisconsin and specifically within the College of Engineering in the early 1990’s played a critical role in my career in a few different ways. First, it provided me an incredible education that reinforced my desire for a career in the technical field by providing me the skills, confidence and passion to solve technical problems and create solutions to real world opportunities through science and engineering. 

Secondly, it provided me flexibility to explore and pursue my passions in multiple areas. Having started as a Mechanical Engineer due to a passion for design, I quickly realized how interested I was in Chemistry (thanks to an incredible Professor Dahl) which resulted in me switching to chemical and biological engineering. The College of Engineering also provided many opportunities to interact with companies through on campus programs and internships and my undergraduate internship with General Mills helped me find the perfect combination for my two passions of design and chemistry which resulted in a lifelong career in the food industry.

How did your engineering education enable your success?

My education at the University of Wisconsin taught me first and foremost how to solve problems. No matter the course, we were always solving complex problems by applying science and engineering fundamentals. Throughout my career, this ability to assess, understand, and troubleshoot problems has been a cornerstone of my success. While many of the problems were not exactly the same as those encountered in college, the fundamental approach I learned was critical to me as I encountered challenges and opportunities throughout my career. Whether it be food science, process engineering, agriculture, or consumer science, these fundamentals have been core to the work I do as a R&D leader in the food industry.

What course had the greatest impact on you?

Really tough question for sure as they all had different impacts on me, although there are a few courses that stand out. The first, while not in the College of Engineering, was my Chemistry 109 course. I remember vividly how in that semester I went finding a way to get good grades in Chemistry, to truly understanding it which created a tremendous amount of interest and passion to explore a career in this space. 

The second course was Transport Phenomena. While at first it looked like a completely foreign language, it set the stage for understanding how chemistry, physics, and math transform into the field of engineering. And lastly, I wouldn’t be a true Badger Chemical Engineer if I did not say Unit Operations Summer Lab! While it was one of the toughest classes in my time as an undergrad, it taught me so many skills that apply to real world engineering and a career in this field.

Can you give us a few highlights of you professional career? What are you most proud of?

Since I graduated in 1994, I have held numerous positions in research and development for companies like Pepsico, Pillsbury, and now General Mills. While there have been technical discoveries, new processing technologies, and new products along the way, what I am most proud of is how I have developed young scientists and engineers along the way.

Investing in technical talent and providing coaching and mentorship to help them unlock their true potential is not only the right thing to do for our scientists and engineers, but it is the right thing to do for our business. What I have realized over the course of my career is that when technical talent feels empowered, supported, and psychologically safe, they bring a learning mindset along with the confidence to lean into risk and pursue the unknown, which ultimately results in technical discovery and true innovation. The impact I have hopefully had on our technical talent is the thing that I value most about my career as an engineer.

What are some of the experiences throughout your career that have been most interesting to you?

I started my career at Pepsico as a process engineer and after a few years transferred to Pillsbury. Pillsbury was acquired by General Mills a few years later which is where I work today. Throughout my career I have worked on formulation and processing improvements along with new product innovation across brands like Tostitos, Doritos, Totino’s, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Nature Valley, Annie’s, Old El Paso, Progresso, Betty Crocker, and Yoplait. While I think fondly on the technical achievements and innovation that has brought joy to consumers through our products and brands, as a chemical engineer, I am probably most fond of the new processing technologies I had the opportunity to help create and advance early in my career.

Fun facts

Sweet Caroline or Jump Around? Jump Around

Flamingos or Badgers? Flamingos

Favorite Babcock Ice Cream flavor? Grasshopper

Favorite study spot? Helen C. White Library

Favorite place for lunch grub? State Street Brats