Teaching Assistant Professor
Biography
Mackenzie M. Warwick is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She earned her PhD, MSE, and BSE in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining UT, she spent five years as a student intern at Idaho National Laboratory, where she contributed to the Fusion Safety Program and the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Technologies (AMMT) Program. At UT, she teaches courses in nuclear engineering, radiological engineering, materials science, and radiation detection laboratories, while also supporting K–12 outreach programs that introduce students to nuclear engineering. Dr. Warwick is an active member of the American Nuclear Society, U.S. Women in Nuclear, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency’s Global Forum, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), and the Materials Research Society (MRS). She has served in numerous leadership, mentoring, and professional service roles dedicated to workforce development and the advancement of the nuclear profession. Her contributions to education, leadership, and service have been recognized through several national and international honors, including selection to the OECD-NEA International Rising Stars Program and the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award and Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors.
Teaching
Current Courses
- NE 200: Introduction to Nuclear and Radiological Engineering
- NE 233: Introduction to Radiological Engineering
- NE 340: Materials Science and Engineering Mechanics for Nuclear Materials
- NE 403: Radiation Detection – Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Laboratory
Additional Course Experience
- Nuclear System Design (Senior Capstone Projects)
- Code Qualification of Materials for Nuclear Energy Systems
- Radiation Effects on Materials
- Nuclear Waste Management
- Ion Beam Modification and Analysis
- Cultural and Societal Impacts of Nuclear Accidents
- Macroethics: Addressing our Responsibility to Society (MARS) Dialogues
K-12 Education
University of Tennessee
University of Michigan
- Harper Academy 4 Future Nuclear Engineers, 2024 & 2025
- Glow Blue, 2021 – 2022
- Xplore and Discover Engineering, 2019, 2022, 2023
Education
- PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2025
- Advisor: Prof. Kevin G. Field
- Dissertation: “The Effect of a Tensile Stress on the Multi-Length-Scale Microstructural Evolution in Thermal and Ion Irradiation Creep of 316L Stainless Steel”
- MSE in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, 2022
- Concentration: Radiation Effects on Materials for Nuclear Energy Systems
- BSE in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences with a minor in Physics, University of Michigan, 2020
Professional Service
American Nuclear Society
- Member, 2016 – present
- Young Members Group (YMG), Executive Committee Member, 2026 – present
- Student Section Commendations (SSC) Chair, 2024 – 2025
U.S. Women in Nuclear
- Member, 2019 – present
- University of Michigan Student Chapter Founder and President, 2019 – 2024
OECD- Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
- Member of Global Forum Working Group 1: Achieving Gender Balance in Nuclear Technology and Academic Workforces, 2026 – present
- International Rising Stars Program Mentor, 2024 & 2025
The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS)
- Member, 2021 – present
The Materials Research Society (MRS)
- Member, 2022 – present
Co-organization of conferences, workshops, or technical sessions including:
- Materials Science and Technology (MS&T) technical session: “Additively Manufactured Materials for Nuclear Energy Systems”, 2026
- OECD-NEA Global Forum Workshop (University of Michigan), 2025
- OECD-NEA Rising Stars Program (KTH Sweden), 2025
- OECD-NEA Rising Stars Program (European JRC, Germany), 2024
- Workshop on the “Contributions of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies to Decarbonization and Economic Development in Japan and the United States” (University of Sendai, Japan), 2024
- Nuclear Innovator Cultivation Camp (Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan), 2023
- Nuclear Science Week Hosts (University of Michigan), 2022
Awards and Recognitions
American Nuclear Society
- Student Section Commendations Undergraduate Leadership Award, 2020
U.S. Women in Nuclear
- Most Reactive Chapter – Runner up, 2023
- Best Overall Student Chapter, 2020
OECD- Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
- Inaugural International Rising Stars Program - participant (1 of 40), 2023
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
- College of Engineering Distinguished Leadership Award, 2024
- Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award: Activism, Awareness, and Organization, 2024
- Michigan Center for Materials Characterization Image Contest for Transmission Electron Microscopy – 2nd place, 2024
- Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding GSIs (1 of 4), 2023
- Rackham Graduate School Outstanding GSI Award (1 of 20), 2022
- Harry B. Benford Entrepreneurial Leadership Award, 2020