Master’s and PhD student Lauren Bailey was surprised with the Beacon Award, the highest master’s student honor conferred at the University of Tennessee where the recipient must demonstrate high academic achievement and embody the Volunteer Spirit.

Daniel Suarez and Mackenzie Warwick joined us as full-time teaching professors. They are the first instructional faculty members the department has ever hired.

Graduate student Lauren Bailey and senior Sicilia Christadore attended the East Tennessee Economic Council’s Nuclear & Innovative Energy Day on the Hill.

UT is part of a consortium that was awarded a $25M grant by the U.S. DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration for R&D in nuclear science, engineering, and security.

UT and UCOR have strengthened their partnership to collaborate on projects, enhance educational curriculum, and develop a pipeline of highly skilled workers for nuclear and environmental cleanup work through an MOU renewal.

UT, ORNL, and Type One Energy are establishing a world-class facility to advance fusion energy, evaluating how materials react under extreme conditions. 

Early experience on the DIII-D tokamak helped Jeremy Mateja, a PhD student in Professor David Donovan’s lab, develop great fusion experiments and a strong professional network.

Professor Ivan Maldonado served as the general chair for the 2025 Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management (ANFM) Conference.

Sarah Donaher has been named to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement PAC 5 group, helping position UT as a hub in the field.

TVA has invested $3 million in the University of Tennessee to advance academic excellence, workforce development and faculty recruitment.