The Tennessee Valley Authority is investing $3 million into an endowed chair position for the university’s Department of Engineering. Brian Wirth will serve as the inaugural endowed chair.
The University of Tennessee Knoxville has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to advance the future of nuclear energy in the region. The partnership includes a $3 million gift from TVA to the university to establish an endowed chair position for the university’s Department of Nuclear Engineering. Brian Wirth, who is the university’s UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair for Computational Nuclear Engineering, will serve as the inaugural chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering.
According to an article on the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s website, Wirth was quoted as saying of the new partnership, “This is an incredible opportunity to expand our collaboration with TVA and train engineers who will help realize TVA’s commitment to bringing a substantial amount of new nuclear power to the grid. With this endowment, we can become a major support source for the workforce TVA is going to need to build new nuclear power plants.”
The funding from TVA is going to assist the university in continuing to be a leader in nuclear energy. The funding will help facilitate faculty recruitment, workforce development, and general advancement within the department. Wirth, as the inaugural chair, will leverage this relationship with TVA to hire qualified instructional faculty and help advance one of the university’s missions, which is shared by TVA: to advance clean energy solutions and build up East Tennessee as a hub for innovation in the nuclear sector.
Don Moul, the president and CEO of TVA, said, “TVA’s endowment of the nuclear engineering department chair at the University of Tennessee is a strategic investment in America’s energy future. 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.”
University Chancellor Donde Plowman shared her enthusiasm for the partnership, saying, “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. 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.”
TVA is the largest public power provider in the United States. It operates three nuclear power plants and is currently working on developing small modular reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to create more nuclear energy.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee created the Nuclear Energy Fund to help advance research, education, and the workforce in the nuclear energy sector, which has provided more than $60 million to the cause so far. The University of Tennessee Knoxville has benefitted from the Nuclear Energy Fund, which supported the implementation of a nuclear engineering minor at the university in 2024.
Matthew Mench, the dean of the Tickle College of Engineering and the Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair, said, “The college is grateful for the partnership with TVA and this remarkable endowment, which guarantees sustained excellence in leadership for our nuclear engineering program. TVA’s investment equips the nuclear department with vital resources to continue to provide a world-class education in a field that is instrumental to the future of our state, region and country.”
For more information about the University of Tennessee Knoxville, visit the school’s website.