At the beginning of March, the Bredesen Center welcomed more than 30 prospective students for its 2026 Recruit Visit. All the students have been admitted to one of the Center’s three interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs, with some already accepting their offers and others visiting to determine whether the Bredesen Center is the right fit for their graduate studies.
During the two-day visit, recruits experienced firsthand what makes the Bredesen Center unique: the opportunity to conduct graduate research across the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The visit began at UT Knoxville, where recruits heard from Marieke Van Puymbroeck, dean of the UT Graduate School, and met with Bredesen Center program directors to learn more about their academic paths and research opportunities. Throughout the day, they connected with current students, met potential UT faculty advisors and heard from faculty about the research projects they could join during their graduate studies.
The following day at ORNL, recruits explored the laboratory’s research environment and the many ways Bredesen Center students collaborate with ORNL scientists. ORNL Deputy for Science and Technology Susan Hubbard welcomed the group,
followed by a panel discussion featuring leaders from several ORNL research directorates—Robert Hettich, Adam Spannaus, Andrew Westover, Verity Salmon and Sebastian Dryepondt—along with Roli Gostelow, manager of ORNL’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. Panelists highlighted how the UT–ORNL partnership creates opportunities for students to contribute to research focused on some of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Recruits also met with current students conducting research at ORNL, giving them the opportunity to learn more about their work and hear firsthand about their experiences in the program.
This marks the 15th year that the Bredesen Center has offered joint UT–ORNL graduate opportunities. Today, 52 percent of Bredesen Center students have an Oak Ridge graduate advisor supervising their Ph.D. research, and 39 percent of Bredesen Center graduates go on to work for a national laboratory or other government entity.
