Centers of Excellence
Amplifying the interdisciplinary benefits of AI
Collaborative research centers help focus and streamline UT’s interdisciplinary efforts. They serve as vibrant connection points and resources for scholarship, research, and community engagement.
“At UT, AI provides a common set of tools for interdisciplinary collaboration. We’re using AI to cross-fertilize the work we do together and let it carry us in new directions. AI is a game-changer that has broadened the scope of projects I can tackle by collaborating with experts outside my discipline.”
—Adrian Del Maestro, Interdisciplinary Research Group Lead, Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing; Professor and Head, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Professor, Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
The UT Knoxville Materials Research Science and Engineering Center’s Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing advances AI in tandem with experimentation, synthesis, and modeling to pursue transformative discoveries in advanced materials.
Center for the Dynamics of Cultural Complexity
Members of this research center, based in the College of Arts and Sciences, study the evolution of knowledge, innovation, and society using methods of computational social science, cultural evolution, social psychology, anthropology, AI, and information science.
Center for Freight Transportation for Efficient and Resilient Supply Chain
UT is leading five other institutions in this university transportation research center funded by the US Department of Transportation to address challenges in freight transportation systems and technological innovations such as autonomous vehicles.
Center for Transportation Research
Part of UT’s Tickle College of Engineering and an internationally recognized research entity since 1972, the Center for Transportation Research incorporates AI and machine learning concepts to advance autonomous vehicles and connected infrastructure.
Data Science Institute
This institute, housed within the Herbert College of Agriculture, applies concepts of data science, machine learning, and AI to advance education and research within industries that grow, manage, harvest, and use wood and fiber resources.
Denbo Center for Humanities and the Arts
Located in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Denbo Center fosters interdisciplinary research and education that both recognizes and shapes the interplay between digital technologies—including AI—and cultural, historical, literary, and artistic development.
Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing, Moving from Evolution to Revolution
UT is a core partner in HAMMER—a multi-institutional alliance sponsored by the National Science Foundation and led by the Ohio State University—which serves as a hub for technical, commercial, educational, and standard setting for hybrid autonomous manufacturing.
JTV Center for Applied Business Analytics
Businesses searching for data analytics solutions connect with undergraduate teams and their faculty mentors through the JTV Center in the Haslam College of Business, where students gain real-world experience and soft skills including AI tool use.
NeuroNET
NeuroNET—the Neuroscience Network of East Tennessee, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences—fosters cutting-edge research and training in the brain sciences by connecting researchers in neurobiology, neurocomputation, and cognitive and behavioral neuroscience.