Joel S. Emer is an Intel Fellow, Enterprise Platforms Group, based at the Massachusetts Microprocessor Design Center, where he is the Director of Microarchitecture Research.

Emer joined Intel as part of a June 2001 agreement with Compaq Computer Corporation that called for the transfer of microprocessor engineering and design expertise to Intel. Prior to joining Intel, Emer was a Compaq Fellow and Director of Alpha Architecture Research, where he led research efforts for future processors for Compaq's 64-bit family of servers.

With 22 years of combined service to Compaq and Digital Equipment Corporation, Emer has held various research and advanced development positions investigating processor microarchitecture designs and developing performance modeling and evaluation techniques. Emer is recognized as one of the developers of the widely employed quantitative approach to processor performance evaluation. More recently, he has been recognized for his contributions in the advancement of simultaneous multithreading technology. He holds nine patents with three pending. He has also published more than 25 papers.

Emer received a bachelor's degree with highest honors in electrical engineering in 1974, and his master's degree in 1975 -- both from Purdue University. Emer earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1979.