News Release

The University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute’s Science Alliance has selected two University of Tennessee faculty members for FY26 Support for Affiliated Research Teams (StART) awards. Each project will receive $100,000 to support new collaborative research between UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Congratulations to: 🔸 Hector Santos-Villalobos, assistant professor in the Min H. Kao Department…

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have recruited a world-leading materials scientist to accelerate Tennessee’s leadership in advanced manufacturing and the U.S. bioeconomy. Orlando Rojas, a Canada Excellence Research Chair at the University of British Columbia, has been named the UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Circular Biomaterials. “The opportunity…

Three students from the University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute’s Bredesen Center have been selected for the 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards supporting graduate research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students with the…

Amy Kurr has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Trailblazer Award, which is the highest doctoral student honor conferred by the University of Tennessee.   Kurr is pursuing her PhD through the Bredesen Center in Energy Science and Engineering with a focus on polymer engineering. Her research within the Center for Renewable Carbon at…