2022 Engineer of the Year

Mark F. Bocko, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester

Education: Colgate University, 1978, BA Physics // University of Rochester, 1980, MS Physics // University of Rochester, 1984, Ph.D. Physics

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

As Chair of the ECE Department at the University of Rochester, I created the Audio and Music Engineering program that allows students to pursue their passion for sound and music while preparing for careers in the growing audio industry.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

The research with my collaborators leading to our 1995 paper, the first to show how a practical superconducting quantum computer could be built, has had the greatest impact. Three decades later dozens of groups world-wide are pursuing this goal.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

My PhD advisor at the University of Rochester, David H. Douglass, showed me how to think out of the box before it was a thing. His personal example and sage advice have been major influences throughout my entire career.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Keep an open mind and explore new areas and ideas. You may become passionate about topics that you never dreamed of before. And be intentional about searching for simple, elegant solutions to every engineering challenge you take on.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

Rochester has long been a hub for innovation, and I look forward to continued growth in our region’s innovation economy and greater opportunity for the highly talented graduates from our local universities to build rewarding careers in our community.