UTK Joint Faculty Program
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Lab have successfully collaborated to accelerate discovery, including establishing joint faculty appointments between the two organizations.
Serving as a pipeline for collaboration
The University of Tennessee – Oak Ridge Innovation Institute provides support for the administration of the Joint Faculty Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Purpose & Benefits
The UTK-ORNL joint faculty program provides opportunities for UTK faculty and ORNL staff to engage in more research projects, have more access to facilities and resources and expand respective networks.
Joint Faculty Appointments should be established based on strategic benefit to both organizations, including:
- Promoting collaboration through dual affiliation
- Establishing or expanding ongoing or planned work at UTK or ORNL
- Enhancing the scientific capabilities of the candidate and the organizations
- Supporting career development for joint faculty
- Increasing funding opportunities
- Contributing to publications, scholarship, and research productivity
- Strengthening recruitment and retention
- Providing training opportunities for graduate students
- Broadening access to expertise and facilities
Joint Faculty Program Overview
Organizational Affiliation
Joint Faculty remain primarily affiliated with their home institution or organization, with a partial appointment based on effort at the visiting organization or institution.
Establishing a Joint Appointment
UTK Faculty
UTK faculty interested in a joint appointment must first obtain approval from their dean and department head to ensure alignment with department bylaws, policies and procedures. After approval, Raquel Rust, manager of research services at UT-ORII, can provide guidance on program requirements, university procedures and the ORNL application process. Rust can be reached at rrust2@utk.edu.
ORNL Staff
ORNL staff are encouraged to contact Tesa Hinton with ORNL at hintontc@ornl.gov. for additional information about the program and application process for a joint appointment with UT.
Relationship building at UT and ORNL
Joint faculty candidates are responsible for initiating discussions at UT Knoxville or ORNL to ensure research alignment, demonstrate strategic benefit, and obtain the necessary management approvals to move forward.
Joint Appointment Funding
A joint faculty appointment between UTK and ORNL is established via a formal joint appointment agreement. This agreement outlines the joint appointment funding for salary and fringe benefits, the agreement period, scope of work, and other terms and conditions. Indirect costs are not included in joint appointment agreements.
*Please note, funding to support joint appointments is not available through UT-ORII.