Advancing a partnership that reinforces the Tennessee Valley’s status as the national epicenter for building a more secure energy future, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is providing $3 million to the University of Tennessee’s Tickle College of Engineering to endow the department chair for the Department of Nuclear Engineering.
The Tennessee Valley Authority Department Chair of Nuclear Engineering will ensure TCE can recruit and retain talent to serve as department head of nuclear engineering in perpetuity.
The endowed chair provides the department chair with critical resources to advance the mission of the department, which includes strengthening academic excellence, recruiting and retaining world-class faculty, investing in student success, and expanding research initiatives aligned with industry needs.
“The Tickle College is grateful for the partnership with TVA and this endowment, which will help the college ensure we will always have excellent leadership in place in our nuclear engineering program,” said Matthew Mench, TCE dean and Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair. “TVA’s investment provides the nuclear department with additional resources to continue to provide a world-class education in a field that is instrumental to the future of our state, region, and country.”
The partnership aligns TVA, the nation’s largest public power provider, with a UT nuclear engineering department ranked No. 2 in the country among public schools, helping create a legacy of leadership in nuclear energy education and innovation.
For more than 90 years, TVA has executed its mission to generate reliable, low-cost energy, provide environmental stewardship and support economic development. Currently, TVA is at the forefront of a renewed regional commitment to advance nuclear technology. UT’s faculty is advancing breakthroughs in reactor technology, safety culture, and regulatory science, while preparing the next generation of nuclear engineers through hands-on learning and cutting-edge research.
The endowment reinforces TVA’s commitment to building a stronger, more secure energy system while empowering students, faculty, and industry to deliver on the promise of safe, clean nuclear power.
“TVA’s endowment of the Nuclear Engineering Department chair at the University of Tennessee is a strategic investment in America’s energy future,” TVA President and CEO Don Moul said. “By supporting the development of a highly skilled, homegrown nuclear workforce, we’re ensuring that TVA and our industry partners have access to the talent needed to meet the growing demands of the nuclear sector in East Tennessee and across the Valley. This partnership will help train the next generation of engineers, researchers and technicians while strengthening the pipeline of innovation and leadership that will power our region for decades to come.”
Hub of Nuclear Energy
The partnership between TVA and UT is another important step in the mission of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to position the state to be a leader in nuclear innovation. Lee’s creation of the Nuclear Energy Fund has provided more than $60 million in funding for the advancement of nuclear technologies.
As part of the fund, UT launched a nuclear engineering minor in 2024 to better prepare all TCE graduates for careers in the nuclear industry and meet industry demands. Through his role on the Department of Nuclear Engineering Board of Advisors, Moul provided input on the needs and requirements of the minor.
“This investment from Tennessee Valley Authority is a testament to both the strength of UT’s nuclear engineering program and the importance of the nuclear energy sector to our region,” said UTChancellor Donde Plowman. ‘We are grateful to have an industry leader like TVA investing in our expertise and working alongside us to grow Tennessee’s talent pipeline, drive innovation and help build East Tennessee’s nuclear renaissance.”
East Tennessee has become the epicenter for nuclear research and innovation, with numerous nuclear energy companies moving to the area and constructing power-generating demonstration plants, reactors, and uranium enrichment facilities to help fulfill the nation’s growing clean energy needs.
An economic impact report from the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council shows that advanced energy employs more than 420,000 people across Tennessee with over 22,000 businesses contributing nearly $56 billion to the state’s gross domestic product.
Safe nuclear energy is integral to TVA’s mission of powering economic prosperity in the Tennessee Valley. TVA operates three nuclear power plants capable of generating an average of 8,275 megawatts of electricity each day – enough to power more than 4.5 million homes and businesses. Nuclear power makes up about 42 percent of TVA’s diversified energy generation portfolio.
While this endowment and future-focused approach complements TVA’s legacy in traditional nuclear generation, it also aligns with TVA’s pioneering efforts at its Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where it aims to lead the way in developing advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs).
Investing in the Future
TVA and UT share a common goal of educating the next generation of the nuclear workforce and improving the lives of people in the Tennessee Valley region and beyond. The new partnership not only strengthens that commitment but provides the resources necessary to light the way for future positive outcomes.
Brian Wirth, who will become the inaugural Tennessee Valley Authority Department Chair of Nuclear Engineering, plans to use some of the financial resources from TVA’s endowment to hire world-class, full-time instructional faculty.
“I really look at this as a great opportunity to expand the partnership and educate more engineers to realize TVA’s commitment to putting a substantial quantity of new nuclear on the grid,” Wirth said. “I think that we can become a major support source for the workforce that TVA is going to need once they build new nuclear power plants.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey, rpotkey@utk.edu
Tom Satkowiak, tvsatkowiak@tva.gov, 865-696-2897