About the Bredesen Center
In January 2010, the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee passed legislation authorizing The University of Tennessee to establish an academic unit of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) for interdisciplinary research and graduate education in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL). Originally titled Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education (CIRE), this new graduate program sought to combine the extensive and complementary resources at UTK and ORNL to increase energy-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research. After a year of successful graduate recruitment and program activities, the center was remnamed after former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, who during his time as governor increased state support for scientific research related to energy and paved the way for the establishment of the Bredesen Center.
The Bredesen Center fosters collaborations between UTK and ORNL, increases the number of STEM graduate students, advances interdisciplinary research in energy science and engineering, accelerates the translation of research results into beneficial technologies, and shapes public policy with scientific reasoning.
Contact Information
Lee Riedinger
Professor of Physics
Director
Mike Simpson
Professor of Material Sciences and Engineering
Assistant Director
Wanda Davis
Assistant to the Director
443 Greve Hall
821 Volunteer Blvd
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996
865-974-7999
Ben Allen
Coordinator & Recruiter
418 Greve Hall
821 Volunteer Blvd
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996
865-974-9374
Fax: 865-974-9482