Research & Innovation
UT is leading the way in research that makes life and lives better in Tennessee and around the world. We are an R1 university and home to preeminent faculty who involve our students in making discoveries and conducting research that matters, from nuclear energy to the future of AI.
Groundbreaking research
UT is leading eight national labs and 15 universities in a $25 million nuclear consortium aimed at advancing knowledge and innovation around global security, clean energy, and artificial intelligence. Our researchers are part of a $20 million convergent research initiative, funded by the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII), focused on radiopharmaceutical therapy research.
Place-based innovation
East Tennessee is home to more than 150 companies working in advanced energy and nuclear defense technology, forming what we call an Energy Innovation Corridor. It begins in Hardin Valley, Tennessee, and encompasses Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. UT has a long-standing partnership with ORNL, the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, and is collaborating with Y-12 to develop a National Security Prototype Center.
Growing programs
UT graduates with nuclear engineering degrees are in high demand. Our programs, developed alongside DOE and defense contractors, combine nuclear engineering, cybersecurity, and policy. Together with Roane State and Pellissippi State community colleges, we’re creating seamless pathways from two-year to four-year degree options in nuclear engineering. And our faculty are training elementary teachers across Tennessee to introduce age-appropriate nuclear energy concepts to students in kindergarten through second grade.
Expanding health & wellness
The Center for Precision Health, designed by UT and the University of Tennessee Medical Center, provides laboratory space for UT faculty, UTMC physicians, and community partners to tackle Tennessee’s most pressing health challenges and improve patient outcomes.
The future of mobility
At the Volkswagen Innovation Hub—the first of its kind in North America and one of five worldwide—UT faculty and students, ORNL scientists, and Volkswagen engineers are developing technology that makes vehicles lighter, batteries that last longer, and materials that are more sustainable.
Leading AI research
AI Tennessee, an initiative created by UT, is collaborating with academic, industry, and community partners across the state to leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence across disciplines from climate-smart agriculture and forestry to future mobility. Researchers in our Tickle College of Engineering are using AI to analyze pathology reports and inform treatment plans for breast cancer patients.
Facts & Figures
$386.95M
total research expenditures
(FY 2024)
16
US DOE National laboratories collaborate with UT
6
faculty named to Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list
#2
nuclear engineering graduate program among public institutions
#3
nuclear engineering graduate program in the nation
31%
enrollment increase in nuclear engineering programs at UT
between 2021 and 2024
Research Stories
UT and Y-12 Advance East Tennessee Nuclear Renaissance
In the heart of East Tennessee, a groundbreaking collaboration is reshaping the future of nuclear energy and national security.
UT-ORII Selects Two New $20M UT-ORNL Convergent Research Initiatives
Over the next five years, UT and ORNL will invest $40 million—$20 million per initiative—and work jointly to accelerate world-leading innovation and establish UT and ORNL as national leaders in these areas.
UT Partners to Bring Nuclear Education to
K-2 Students
UT’s Tickle College of Engineering is part of a groundbreaking statewide initiative to introduce nuclear energy concepts to students in kindergarten through second grade.
