Celebrating our World-Class Faculty
Faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are among the best in the world. Our faculty are top experts in their fields, and their work is among the most cited by their peers. They are at the forefront of knowledge, working to better understand everything from artificial intelligence to new building materials and how people consume information.
Over the past year, dozens of faculty members have been recognized with substantial grants for projects, membership in storied organizations, and national fellowships and awards.
- Two faculty members were elected to national academies this year. Kevin Tomsovic, a professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and Jack Dongarra, professor emeritus in the Tickle College of Engineering and a research and development staff member in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Computer Science and Mathematics Division, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
- UT is a national leader in awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This year, four faculty members across three departments have been recognized. Daniel Magilow and Mary McAlpin of the Department of World Languages and Cultures and Manuela Ceballos of the Department of Religious Studies were awarded NEH fellowships.
- LaToya Eaves of the Department of Geography and Sustainability was named a 2023 fellow of the American Association of Geographers.
- UT–ORNL Governor’s Chair for Advanced and Nanostructured Materials Rigoberto Advincula was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
- Sergey Gavrilets of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology received a $1.2 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation—the largest Templeton award in UT history.
- Tony Schmitz was recognized by the Southeastern Conference as UT’s Faculty Achievement Award recipient. He and Andy Sarles, both in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, have been named fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Across campus, faculty are receiving countless accolades for their work—but even more meaningful is the impact they have on the lives of our students and those we serve.
Our faculty are shaping the next generation of researchers and teachers, problem solvers and leaders. Our students learn from some of the world’s leading experts, gaining a greater understanding of the world around them and their place in it. The enthusiasm of faculty for their work is one of the reasons more students want to become Volunteers and more are succeeding once they’re here.
With faculty like ours, it is no surprise that UT is a university on the rise. I am proud to call myself a Vol and to work alongside all of you.