The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has committed $3 million to endow a leadership chair in the University of Tennessee’s (UT) Department of Nuclear Engineering at the Tickle College of Engineering. TVA President and CEO, Don Moul, characterized this move as 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,” Moul added in the shared press release with the university.
The endowment, announced earlier this month, is the latest step in the longstanding partnership between the TVA and UT. When Governor Bill Lee created the Nuclear Energy Fund in 2023, allowing UT to launch a nuclear engineering department minor a year later, TVA helped shape it with Moul offering guidance on the requirements and needs for the minor.
UT Chancellor Donde Plowman said the investment proved the strength of the university’s nuclear engineering program and the importance of clean nuclear energy to the region. He stated, “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 was a hub of nuclear research and innovation. It was the home to several top-secret facilities for the atomic weapons program during World War II — it became the headquarters to the Manhattan Project after they relocated from New York City. Today, reports from the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council indicate that advanced energy employs more than 420,000 people across the state and contributes nearly $56 billion to the state’s GDP.
