Eric T. Baumgartner, Ph.D., began his term as Milwaukee School of Engineering’s sixth president on Jan. 1, 2026. He previously served as the Executive Vice President of Academics at MSOE for nine years. Through this role, he provided strategic leadership and direction for academic programs and academic support units across campus. Prior to joining MSOE, Baumgartner served as dean of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University.

He also served as a senior member of the engineering staff at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where he played an influential role on the Mars Exploration Rover flight project team which designed, built, launched, and operated the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on the surface of Mars. Baumgartner also taught at UCLA and Michigan Technological University.

Baumgartner holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati, a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and a certificate from the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.