Governor’s Chairs
The Governor’s Chairs program provides joint appointments at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory for some of the nation’s top scientists, transforming such fields as clean manufacturing, energy production, environmental systems and computing technologies.
Funded by the state of Tennessee and ORNL, the program attracts top researchers to broaden and enhance the unique research partnership that exists among UT, the state’s preeminent public university system, and ORNL, the nation’s largest multiprogram laboratory.
The Governor’s Chair program is managed by the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII) in coordination with ORNL and UT. There are currently 15 Governor’s Chairs, 13 located at UT Knoxville and two at UT Health Science. Three of the governor’s chairs were hired in 2026.
