A PhD student instructs a graduate student on how to mount a tungsten sample to a plasma exposure heating stage for the Tennessee Plasma Exposure Experiment (T-PLEX) in the Nuclear Fusion Lab at Zeanah Engineering Complex

Powering the Nuclear Renaissance

From clean energy to precision medicine, national security to artificial intelligence, nuclear research at UT is shaping the future in Tennessee and beyond.

Leaders in nuclear education

UT has always been at the forefront of nuclear education, having established the nation’s first-ever department of nuclear engineering in 1957. Today, our Tickle College of Engineering is home to the discipline’s largest PhD program, second-largest undergraduate program, and third-highest ranked graduate program in the United States.

Our students become leading nuclear engineers prepared to meet industry demands in Tennessee and across the nation. We continually expand our educational offerings, recently piloting two hands-on training programs in partnership with Roane State Community College and the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology.

Faculty within the Tickle College of Engineering are influencing a groundbreaking statewide initiative called “Powering Our Town,” which is bringing a nuclear energy curriculum to K–2 classrooms.

UT Partners with Roane State and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology to Develop a Nuclear Workforce Pipeline

UT Partners to Bring Nuclear Education to K-2 Students

1st

department of nuclear engineering in the country

nuclear engineering graduate program in the country

31%

enrollment increase in nuclear engineering programs between 2021 and 2024

Located in the nation’s nuclear research hub

Home to UT and more than 150 companies working in the field, East Tennessee is the nation’s premier hub for nuclear energy.

UT’s Department of Nuclear Engineering is solidifying the university’s role as a leader in shaping the future of nuclear energy through a $3 million endowment from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Together, TVA and UT will continue to strengthen the department’s academic excellence and develop world-class scientists needed to advance clean energy solutions.

UT has also established a public-private partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Type One Energy to develop a high-heat flux facility to evaluate how materials react under extreme conditions.

TVA Spearheads UT Nuclear Engineering Endowment

UT to Partner with ORNL, Type One Energy on World-Class Facility to Validate Next-Gen Fusion

Shaping nuclear policy

As the nuclear industry grows, UT is meeting an urgent national need for security expertise.

Faculty within the Tickle College of Engineering and the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs are bridging technical expertise with national policy. Together, they are working to provide safeguards and ensure success in the expansion of nuclear energy.

UT’s Institute for Nuclear Security is a national leader in building the talent pipeline for nuclear safeguards, deterrence, security operations, and threat assessment. Students contribute to cutting-edge nuclear security initiatives, and alumni go on to fill critical roles in government, national laboratories, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the US Department of State.

UT Is Shaping the Next Generation of Nuclear Security Experts

There is no better place to study than at the epicenter. We value our role in training the workforce and developing future leaders in reliable nuclear energy, precision nuclear medicine and nuclear security.”
bRIAN WIRTH
UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Computational Nuclear Engineering
TVA Department Chair of Nuclear Engineering

J. Wesley Hines, Postelle Professor and Chancellor's Professor and Brian D. Wirth, Department Head and UTK-ORNL Governor’s Chair Professor of Computational Nuclear Engineering speak with Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter while taking a tour of the Zeanah Zeanah Engineering Complex and Department of Nuclear Engineering