Education
Student Education and Training
UT students work closely with UT’s world-class faculty at IAMM and have unrivaled access to cutting-edge research facilities on campus and at our partner organizations. UT graduates are sought after for their fundamental knowledge as well as for their ability to solve complex problems and work collaboratively in teams.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduates participate in high-impact research projects, getting meaningful hands-on experiences. Students are encouraged to publish their findings and present at professional conferences and workshops.
Discover the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
Discover the SMaRT Summer Internship program at the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute
Graduate Students
Graduate students are supported by graduate research and graduate teaching assistantships in PhD programs in materials science and engineering, chemistry, natural resources, mechanical, aerospace, civil, environmental and biomedical engineering, physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science.
Discover the UT Graduate School
Graduate students may also enroll in PhD programs supported by the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, a unique partnership between UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which pairs UT students with UT faculty and ORNL scientists, and provides them with access to the world-class research facilities of both organizations.
Discover the PhD programs of the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute
The Volkswagen Fellows program hires two PhD students per year to work as Volkswagen employees while working on their doctorate as UT students.
“IAMM represents a paradigm shift—a change in the culture of how our students learn, how our faculty conduct research, and how we interact with our industry and community partners. It’s a discovery center for UT students to take an active, critical part in research with outcomes impacting present and future generations.”
—Brad Day, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation Initiatives
Meet Our Students
Joey Michaud’s focus with Volkswagen is on advanced materials research, which will help improve driver and passenger safety during an automobile accident.
William Henken studies structural mechanics of composite materials and was one of the first Volkswagen fellowship recipients.
“There’s such an interest in sustainability, and developing sustainable materials and understanding how to recycle them. So the fact that Volkswagen is investing funding in this research and in me as a PhD fellow is gonna pay dividends down the road in my career.”—Cecile Grubb
Andrew Foote received a Volkswagen fellowship four years into his PhD program in electrical engineering. After completing his doctorate, he plans to remain at Volkswagen’s Innovation Hub at UT Research Park as a research scientist.
Explore Student Experiences
UT students from the School of Architecture designed and assembled a large-scale 3D-printed pavilion made of recycled polymers by Loci Robotics. The structure is now featured on the greenway path at the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm.
UT and Volkswagen’s unique partnership gives students invaluable experience working as Volkswagen employees, gaining access not only to UT’s facilities and resources but also Volkswagen’s. This real-world experience leads to great opportunities after graduation.
Skilled Technical Workforce Training
UT recognizes that US global leadership depends upon the preparation of a workforce with a range of skills, including a STEM workforce with bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree holders, as well as a technical workforce whose skills are developed through apprenticeships and technical community college programs.
Our academic community also supports a range of workforce development projects, seeking to address the labor needs of our present and future advanced materials and manufacturing industry.
America’s Cutting Edge
Managed by IACMI through an agreement with the Department of Defense (DOD) Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program, ACE is a national Computer Numerical Control machine training program. Developed by UT Professor Tony Schmitz, the joint DOD and Department of Energy (DOE) initiative is helping reestablish American leadership in the machine tool industry through transformative thinking, technological innovation, and workforce development. The curriculum combines advanced training tools and techniques from UT, the scientific expertise of DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, and the proven workforce development capabilities of IACMI.
SEAMTN
Led by UT, SEAMTN is a consortium of companies, colleges and universities, national laboratories, non-profit organizations, and the State of Tennessee that seeks to strengthen the US industrial base by investing in machine tool research and development, education, workforce development, and supply chain support. SEAMTN is part of the 2021 cohort for new defense manufacturing communities established and funded by the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP).