Forty-four years after he came to Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a graduate student to work on a Ph.D. in nuclear physics, Lee Riedinger is heading the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education (CIRE), a groundbreaking new collaborative program between UT Knoxville and ORNL. CIRE offers one of the first interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in the nation in engineering and energy science.
Riedinger boasts an impressive list of credentials well suited to his new position as director of CIRE, including major awards in research and education, an outstanding record in public and professional service, and a long-term commitment to strengthening the ties between UT Knoxville and ORNL.
Riedinger joined the physics department at UT Knoxville in 1971 as an assistant professor. Throughout his career, he has held various administrative positions at UT, including acting associate vice chancellor for research from 1991 to 1995, head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy from 1996 to 2000, and interim vice chancellor for research in 2006 and 2007.
Riedinger took a leave of absence from UT from 2000 to 2006, initially to serve as ORNL's deputy director for science and technology and subsequently to serve as the associate laboratory director for university partnerships.
Creating and nurturing synergetic connections between ORNL and UT Knoxville has long been a personal mission for Riedinger, especially in helping set up or improve partnership programs such as joint faculty programs, joint institutes, and mechanisms for shared funding.
![What I look back on as the most enjoyable and rewarding part of my career is the chance to affect and improve the relationship between UT and [ORNL]. That's a pretty unique opportunity. --LEE RIEDINGER](images/synergy-pullquote.jpg)
And now he's in charge of CIRE.
Combining the educational resources of Tennessee's largest flagship institution with the research capabilities of the Department of Energy's largest science and energy laboratory, CIRE is poised to profoundly increase UT Knoxville's doctoral research clout. Riedinger expects to recruit 20-30 students for CIRE for the fall of 2011 and 20-40 students a year thereafter.
The center provides extraordinary opportunities for these students to specialize in such fields as nuclear energy, bioenergy and biofuels, renewable energy, and climate sciences related to energy. Plus, the students will have access to ORNL's remarkable set of high-powered tools, including the Spallation Neutron Source accelerator and Jaguar and Kraken, two of the world's fastest supercomputers.
"One reason I came to UT—and one reason I stayed—is because ORNL and its accelerators and facilities are right next door," Riedinger says. "What I look back on as the most enjoyable and rewarding part of my career is the chance to affect and improve the relationship between UT and the national lab. That's a pretty unique opportunity."
Now that he's director of CIRE, Riedinger's biggest opportunity—and perhaps his greatest challenge— lies ahead.
