Big Science

The mission of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is to deliver scientific discoveries that catalyze the implementation of solutions in clean energy and national security.

The mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK is to contribute to a world enriched by our ideas, improved through our action, and inspired by the Volunteer Spirit of service and leadership.

Faculty, ORNL Scientists, and students align themselves with these missions and collaborate on a wide-range of complex research questions.

Take a look at some recent innovations!

The UT-ORII Governor’s Chairs are world-leading experts in such fields as clean manufacturing, energy production, environmental systems and computing technologies. They hold a joint position at ORNL and UTK. Many of these prestigious faculty oversee Bredesen Center students’ dissertation.
Seven Bredesen Center faculty were awarded the 2022 R&D 100 Award for their research.
Before graduation, Bingrui Li (2023) received the cover of Chem Review with his article, “Intrinsically Self-Healing Polymers: From Mechanistic Insight to Current Challenges”
As first-year students, Jackie Zheng and Sylas Rehbein participated in the Energy iCorps Program with their respective Oak Ridge Graduate Advisors.
In 2023, three Bredesen Center students received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.