Joan Bienvenue has been selected as the first executive director of the Oak Ridge Institute at the University of Tennessee.

“The institute was established last year to align the expertise and infrastructure of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the university in support of world-leading research and talent development,” UT said in an announcement to students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday.

As director, Bienvenue will also serve as a vice provost. She will begin her new position on March 8.

She will develop a strategy for establishing new interdisciplinary graduate research in emerging fields, build programs using UT and ORNL’s capabilities, and lead recruitment of faculty, staff, and students, the announcement said.

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