STAFF

Leadership & Staff

David Sholl

Executive Director, UT-ORII and Vice Provost, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

David Sholl serves as UT-ORII’s executive director and vice provost of University of Tennessee,Knoxville. He leads the institute’s efforts to establish a hub for world-class discovery and innovation, interdisciplinary graduate education and talent development.

Shawn Campagna

Director of Scientific Programs and the Science Alliance, UT-ORII

Shawn Campagna serves as UT-ORII’s director of scientific programs and director of the Science Alliance. He is also a professor in the Department of Chemistry and director of Biological and Small Molecule Mass Spec Core at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 

Brynn Voy

Education Director, UT-ORII

Brynn Voy leads UT-ORII’s efforts to expand UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s graduate research opportunities for students in the Bredesen Center, College of Engineering, College of Arts & Sciences and the Institute of Agriculture at UT Knoxville, and across the UT System.

Bridget Waller

Director of Communications, UT-ORII

As UT-ORII’s communications director, Bridget Waller leads media and community relations efforts, social media, website outreach, external marketing, internal communications, events and sponsorships.  


Jason Wood

Operations Director, UT-ORII

As UT-ORII’s operations director, Jason Wood is responsible for providing leadership, direction and management of the administrative operations of UT-ORII. He works closely with UT and ORNL colleagues to continue to strengthen the relationship between the two organizations to support the UT-ORII community.


Lisa Lee

Program Manager, UT-ORII

As UT-ORII’s program manager, Lee is responsible for the U.S. Department of Energy compliance, oversight and management of the UT-ORII’s programs, which include Science Alliance, the SMaRT summer intern program and the Governor’s Chair program.

Dakhota Little

Communications Associate, UT-ORII

Dakhota Little assists with UT-ORII’s overall outreach efforts, serving as communications associate. Little joined UT-ORII in 2022. Little has four years of experience in a product manager role and three years working in higher education.

Amber Mathes

Business Manager, UT-ORII

Amber Mathes serves as UT-ORII’s business manager. Mathes is responsible for overseeing business support activities for UT-ORII. She also serves as financial manager for Science Alliance, a Tennessee Center of Excellence, which promotes scientific collaboration between UT and ORNL. 

Lora Robinson

Accounting Specialists II

Lora Robinson joined UT-ORII as an Accounting Specialists II. Before joining UT-ORII, Lora worked for a year and a half as an HR Administrator at ORNL supporting multiple groups including the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate as well as the Physical Sciences Directorates.


Annamarie Russell

Operations Coordinator, UT-ORII

Annamarie Russell serves as the Operations Coordinator for UT-ORII. Russell has functional responsibilities in human resources, business administration, and event coordination.

Raquel Rust

Manager of Research Services, UT-ORII

Raquel Rust brings 13 years of sponsored-programs experience, working with faculty and research administrators on proposal submission, award review and management, and continuing education.


Bredesen Center Staff

Allie Burns

Bredesen Center Academic Program Manager

Allie Burns provides leadership and oversight for development and strategic planning for programming and student success. This includes working with stakeholders and university departments to advance the Bredesen Center’s goals for student outcomes.

Rebecca Christ

Bredesen Center Business Manager

Rebecca Christ manages day-to-day business and administration of the Bredesen Center. She facilitates the departmental budget proposal, oversees all financial and HR processes, and coordinates with other administrative units across campus.

Darcy Coffy

Accounting Specialist

Darcy Coffy works closely with our Business Manager to update and maintain our financial records. This includes drafting budgets for our faculty, renewing student contracts, reconciling ledgers, and managing appropriate documentation for travel reimbursements.

Zhili Zang

Bredesen Center Energy Science and Engineering Program Director

Zhili Zhang works closely with Bredesen Center and UT-ORII leadership to further develop and grow the ESE PhD program, one of three joint UT-ORNL PhD programs.


Timothy Guthrie

Bredesen Center Student Recruiter

Timothy Guthrie serves as the student recruiter for UT-ORII’s three interdisciplinary graduate programs in Energy Science and Engineering, Data Science and Engineering, and Genome Science and Technology, all at UT Knoxville. 

Callie Laughlin

HR Coordinator

Callie Laughlin works closely with our Bredesen Center business manager to update and maintain human resource records. This includes facilitating completion of all new-hire paperwork, providing documentation for I-20 verification, and submitting payroll. She serves as a point of contact for HR-related questions and resources, such as benefits and employment start/end details.

Rachel Roberts

Bredesen Center Student Services Coordinator

Rachel Roberts serves as student services coordinator at the Bredesen Center providing academic advising and support to graduate students in the three interdisciplinary doctoral programs offered at UT-ORII in Energy Science and Engineering, Data Science and Engineering, and Genome Science and Technology.

Albrecht von Arnim

Bredesen Center Genome Science and Technology Program Director

Albrecht von Arnim is the GST Program Director. As GST program director, von Arnim manages the GST curriculum and supports GST student progress through instruction of ESE seminar, administration, and faculty relations.


Russell Zaretzki

Bredesen Center Data Science and Engineering Program Director

Russell Zaretzki is the DSE Program Director and also holds an appointment as Associate Professor with the Haslam College of Business. As DSE program director, Zaretzki manages the DSE curriculum and supports DSE student progress through instruction of DSE seminar, administration, and faculty relations.

UT-ORII Research Staff

Philip Barnett

Research Assistant Professor, Clean Manufacturing

Arpan Biswas

Research Assistant Professor, Artificial Intelligence for Quantum Materials

Dustin Gilmer

Postdoctoral Research Associate 

Adam Imel

Research Assistant Professor, Electrochemical Energy Storage

Bin Li

Joint Faculty, Researcher, Energy Storage & Transportation

Xiang Lyu

R&D Associate Staff Scientist

L.P Tharika Nirmani

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Toby Nelson

Research Associate Professor, Clean Manufacturing and Advanced Materials

Ivan Popov

Research Assistant Professor, Electrochemical Energy Storage

Chris Schmitz

Lecturer of Science & Technical Communications

Zachary Sims

Research Assistant Professor,  Clean Manufacturing and Advanced Materials