AI Tennessee

Education

Preparing the workforce to use and benefit from AI

AI is transforming how we learn, teach, research, and work. UT is equipping both current and future generations of professionals to interact with and advance AI—ethically, efficiently, and for the greatest positive impact.  

Through partnerships with community and industry leaders, we design strategic educational programs that address critical societal challenges and meet anticipated workforce demands. 

Assistant Professor Hao Gan and PhD student McKensie Nelms works with a farm bot in the Smart Agriculture Lab in the Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science building at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Academics

UT offers students unrivaled access to real-world opportunities in AI research and application across practically every field of study. UT is investing in new faculty, courses, and degree programs that integrate AI and enrich students’ experiences in each college and department. 

Undergraduate students, including those in their first year, take part in internships, co-ops, and experiential learning related to AI through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. 

Graduate students benefit from UT’s unique interdisciplinary programming and hands-on experiences as well as traditional graduate research and teaching assistantships through the UT Graduate School. 

“My PhD journey at UT taught me many valuable lessons for pursuing research, including a philosophy of exploring interdisciplinary fields in robotics and AI-assisted health care. Securing a tenure-track assistant professor position was the culmination of my time spent at UT, the resources provided to me, and the training, advice, support, and inspiration I received from UT faculty, mentors, and staff.”

—Fengpei Yuan, PhD alumna, Mechanical Engineering

Explore Student Experiences

Biomedical engineering PhD student Tyler Morris assesses a robot’s user perception while assisting a person posing as an early-stage dementia patient with medicine sorting in the HITS Lab’s (Health Innovation Technology and Simulation Lab) Smart Home at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Innovation 

In spring 2024, graduate students from four colleges presented research to scholars, industry professionals, and policymakers during the SMART Workshop sponsored by AI Tennessee. 

Watch students’ poster presentations.

Sheryl Sanchez, a PhD student at the University of Tennessee

Discovery

PhD student Sheryl Sanchez helped create a physics-informed algorithm to accelerate discovery of new perovskites—materials with exceptional promise for LEDs and solar panels.  

Learn more about Sanchez’s research.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville PhD student Fengpei Yuan in a robotics lab

Preparation

Fengpei Yuan’s experience at UT studying socially assistive robots enabled her to become a tenure-track assistant professor in robotics engineering directly after completing her PhD.

Read about Yuan’s experience.

Connection

Students are creating connections between AI and diverse fields of study, from physics to literature and philosophy, as professors integrate AI into experiential interdisciplinary learning.  

See samples of classes involving AI.

PhD student Paula Olaya UT’s Global Computing Laboratory at the International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing

Experience

PhD student Paula Olaya represented UT’s Global Computing Laboratory at the International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing, where she presented research on two AI-related systems.

Learn more about Olaya’s research.

“By harnessing the power of transdisciplinary research, pioneering new learning opportunities, and forging strategic partnerships, we empower a new generation of AI leaders shaping global industries and advancing the future of the knowledge economy.”

—Vasileios Maroulas, Associate Vice Chancellor and Director of AI Tennessee

Workforce Development

Tennessee needs a workforce that remains at the forefront of emerging technologies and evolving practices. To meet community and industry needs, AI Tennessee invests in continuing education, upskilling, reskilling, and other targeted workforce development initiatives.

Explore AI Tennessee’s Development Efforts

Attendees at the annual UT-MRSEC Conference

CAMM Community Outreach

Staff and students from the UT Knoxville Materials Research Science and Engineering Center’s Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, which promotes AI-enabled discovery and innovation, conduct STEM lessons and outreach in collaboration with local schools and nonprofits.

Learn more about CAMM’s education and outreach initiatives.

Staff members collaborate at the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Tennessee.

Empowering Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses 

The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed in UT’s Haslam College of Business, guides UT students and alumni in transforming ideas into viable products and services. Programs like the Startup Studio help participants bring their AI innovations to life.  

Learn about the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

A graphic for the UT Researh Foundation Accelerate Fund.

UT Research Foundation Accelerate Fund

The UT Research Foundation’s Accelerate Fund connects UT innovators with funding opportunities and guidance to start, grow, and retain viable startups. The fund’s portfolio includes start-ups in the medical industry.  

Learn how we’re bringing more UT innovations to the world.

A barn in a field with the University of Tennessee logo painted on it.

Extending AI and Digital Skills into Communities 

UT Extension provides research-based programming for all ages in every Tennessee county. Tennessee 4-H Youth Development, for example, features programs and activities related to digital literacy, robotics, and smart agriculture such as its AI in Ag Camp.

Learn more about UT Extension.

A UT student who is part of the Sparks Scholars Program works works at the Spark Innovation Center.

Spark Innovation Center

The Spark Innovation Center at the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm focuses on developing entrepreneurs and commercializing technology-based startups in the Southeast and Midwest. The center’s portfolio of companies includes startups related to AI.

Learn how the center supports entrepreneurs.

“AI continues to evolve. Our goal is to ensure students and workers are prepared not only for the current moment but for long-lasting careers. We’re thinking ahead to understand future skill demands—in three years, five years, and further—so when people make career-related decisions today, their decisions carry greater likelihood for long-term success.”

—Chuanren (Charles) Liu, Associate Professor, Beaman Professor of Business, and Sampson Enterprises Faculty Fellow