Joe M. Davis obtained a B.S. degree from Duke University in 1978. He worked at the Research Triangle Institute from 1978 to 1980 on environmental problems related to air, water, soil, tissue, and sewage. He obtained a Ph.D. degree from the University of Utah in 1985 and was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin from 1985 to 1987.
In 1987 he joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University, where he presently is a professor.
His research interests are statistical models of overlap, electrokinetic separations, and general transport problems.