The University of Tennessee Department of Nuclear Engineering

08/28/2026

Professor and UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Materials, Steven Zinkle, and Professor Nick Brown were recently quoted in a Nature news article about developing different types of reactors, fuels, coolants, and materials that could help make fission the zero-carbon energy technology of choice.

Read the article:

Shadowed by past disasters, nuclear engineers are developing different types of reactor, fuel, coolant and material that could help to make fission the zero-carbon energy technology of choice.

08/20/2026

Postdoctoral researcher Madeline Lockhart has been selected to receive the American Nuclear Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship.

As an ANS Congressional Fellow, Lockhart will be one of nearly 30 scientists and engineers who participate annually in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship Program.

More on the fellowship: https://bit.ly/4xaJ3pP

08/19/2026

Congratulations to NE Garett Miller on receiving a Lab Safety Culture Award!

08/17/2026

Linzee Phillips Hensley is starting her first class in the Department of Nuclear Engineering’s accredited medical physics program. However, thanks to the program’s unique design, she has already spent two months gaining hands-on clinical experience in radiation oncology with a clinical team at Tennova Healthcare. Learn more at the link below!

🔗 https://bit.ly/3Sf4FSL

08/14/2026

and faculty from the University of Tennessee Tickle College of Engineering participated in the inaugural Fusion Innovation Bootcamp, a two-week entrepreneurship and innovation-focused training program, held at Tennessee State University.

FIB gave students the chance to engage with fusion industry professionals, national lab researchers, and university facilities through lectures, panels, hands-on sessions, and pitch presentations. Learn more at the link below!

🔗 https://bit.ly/4wjU5YF

08/13/2026

Join UT Nuclear Engineering in welcoming our new graduate ! 🧡 This marks the beginning of an exciting chapter filled with learning, discovery, collaboration, and opportunities to make an impact in nuclear science. We can't wait to witness and assist in all you accomplish.

Welcome to the Volunteer family!

08/04/2026

Brian Wirth is featured in episode four of "The Nuclear Option", a documentary produced by CNA. Wirth discusses how new fuels and materials can shape the future of nuclear energy, making it safer and more viable.

WATCH:

TVA Nuclear Engineering Department Chair Brian Wirth is featured in Episode 4 of The Nuclear Option, a documentary discussing how new fuels and materials can shape the future for nuclear energy.

08/04/2026

The UT Nuclear Engineering Department was delighted to host Chancellor Plowman and a group of BWXT leaders from across their TN operation to discuss nuclear workforce development and provide a tour of our unique facilities for training and research.

08/03/2026

Last week Prof Casali in the Department of Nuclear Engineering has co-hosted the Fusion Safety and Regulation Course together with the Clean Air Task Force CATF (Sehila Gonzales de Vicente, Patrick White, Ian Gordon).

The course brought together fusion operators, regulators, academics, policy makers, supply chain companies, investors from all over the world to discuss the most critical challenges in developing regulatory and safety frameworks around this transformative industry.

07/28/2026

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s nuclear knowledge and workforce development were highlighted by the state of Tennessee in a comprehensive proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in April, positioning nearby Oak Ridge as the premier site for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.

Today, the state was selected by the DOE as one of five finalists to host a potential Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, further strengthening Tennessee’s role in securing America’s energy dominance by supporting the DOE’s vision. For more information, visit the link below!

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UT’s nuclear knowledge and workforce development pathways helped position the state as a finalist to be a DOE-supported Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus host.