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Carolyn Anderson named UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Medicine: Radiopharmaceutical Therapies

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Internationally renowned radiopharmaceutical scientist Carolyn Anderson is joining the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance targeted cancer therapies and strengthen Tennessee’s growing leadership in nuclear medicine.

Anderson has been named the UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Medicine: Radiopharmaceutical Therapies and will begin her appointment Aug. 1. She will hold a joint appointment as professor in UT Knoxville’s Department of Nuclear Engineering and researcher in ORNL’s Isotope Science and Enrichment Directorate.

The recruitment was coordinated through the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII), which manages the UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair Program. UT-ORII leverages the combined strengths of UT and ORNL to recruit world-class researchers, expand collaborative research and educate the next generation of scientists and engineers in areas critical to Tennessee and the nation.

For Anderson, the appointment is both the next chapter in her distinguished career and a return to the place where part of her scientific journey began.

“Coming to Tennessee feels like coming full circle,” Anderson said. “I spent part of my graduate career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it played an important role in shaping me as a scientist. Returning now to work alongside researchers across UT Knoxville, ORNL, the UT Health Sciences and UT Medical Center is an extraordinary opportunity. Together, we can advance radiopharmaceutical therapies from fundamental discovery through clinical translation and ultimately improve patients’ lives.”

Advancing targeted cancer therapies

“Tennessee has some of the highest cancer rates in the country, and that’s why hiring exceptional faculty matters to our university and our state,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman. “By attracting world-class researchers with expertise in areas where we already have great strengths and capabilities, we can solve the problems that matter most to Tennesseans and people around the world.”

From 2014-2018, Tennessee experienced the 21st-highest cancer incidence rate and the 6th-highest cancer mortality rate in the United States, according to the .

Anderson will work with UT-ORII’s , collaborating with experts from ORNL, UT Knoxville, the UT Health Sciences, UT Medical Center and other organizations to accelerate the development of next-generation radiopharmaceutical therapies.

Radiopharmaceuticals use radioactive materials to diagnose and treat cancer with extraordinary precision. By targeting cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue, they are transforming cancer care and creating new hope for patients with diseases that have historically been difficult to treat.

Harnessing collective strengths

What attracted Anderson most was the opportunity to join a research ecosystem that brings together expertise across every stage of radiopharmaceutical development—from isotope production and radiochemistry to engineering, imaging, clinical research and patient care.

“It’s rare to find all of those pieces working together,” Anderson said. “When you bring together people with different expertise, you create opportunities to solve problems that no one group could solve alone.”

Anderson joins UT from the University of Missouri, where she serves as professor of chemistry and associate director of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. She founded the university’s Molecular Imaging and Theranostics Center, which became a hub for researchers across disciplines to develop innovative radiopharmaceuticals for cancer imaging and targeted therapy.

“Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a leader in developing advanced radiotherapies and producing the critical radioisotopes that make those therapies possible,” said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer. “Carolyn’s expertise in radiopharmaceuticals will build on those capabilities and open new opportunities to advance cancer diagnosis and treatment. We’re delighted to welcome her back to Oak Ridge.”

Building on Tennessee’s nuclear momentum

Anderson’s appointment marks the third Governor’s Chair recruited through UT-ORII in 2026, following Deep Jariwala, Governor’s Chair for Quantum Devices, and Orlando Rojas, Governor’s Chair for Circular Biomaterials. Together, these appointments reflect growing momentum in the UT-ORNL partnership to recruit exceptional talent, expand research capacity and advance innovation aligned with Tennessee’s strategic priorities.

In recent years, Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly have made significant investments in nuclear research, innovation and workforce development, helping position Tennessee as a national leader in nuclear science and technology.

“Carolyn Anderson’s recruitment reflects the kind of world-class talent those investments are designed to attract,” said Randy Boyd, president of the 51����.

“Through the UT-ORNL partnership, we’re building on that momentum by expanding research and preparing the innovators who will shape Tennessee’s future.”

Mentoring the next generation

Anderson’s collaborative approach and commitment to mentoring align closely with UT-ORII’s mission of advancing research while developing future scientific leaders.

“What excites me most about Carolyn is her passion for collaboration and mentoring the next generation of scientific leaders,” said Brynn Voy, UT-ORII’s interim executive director. “She understands that the biggest breakthroughs happen when people from different disciplines work together. Her leadership will strengthen our collaborative research community and help advance discoveries that have the potential to improve patients’ lives.”

Throughout her career, Anderson has mentored undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and she considers watching them grow into independent scientists one of her greatest professional rewards.

“Watching students become independent scientists and seeing them go on to make discoveries of their own is one of the greatest joys of my career,” Anderson said. “Every student brings a different perspective and new ideas. I hope I can help inspire the next generation of researchers to dream big, work together and make discoveries that improve people’s lives.”

A pioneer in radiopharmaceutical science

At the University of Missouri, Anderson’s research focuses on developing radiolabeled compounds that can identify cancer earlier, determine whether treatments are working and deliver radiation directly to tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.

Her work has helped advance theranostics, which combines diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy to personalize cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes. She has led pioneering research involving reactor-produced radionuclides, including terbium-161, actinium-225 and lead-212, and has collaborated with academic, clinical and industry partners to translate promising laboratory discoveries into potential clinical applications.

Before joining the University of Missouri in 2020, Anderson spent 20 years on the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, where her research helped establish the foundation for radiometal-based imaging agents and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies. She later joined the University of Pittsburgh, where she established a small-animal imaging shared resource at the Hillman Cancer Center before becoming a professor in the Department of Medicine.

Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Florida State University. Her contributions to nuclear medicine and molecular imaging have been recognized with many of the field’s highest honors, including the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s Michael J. Welch Award, Paul C. Aebersold Award and Georg de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award. She also received the Academy of Radiology Research Distinguished Investigator Award and the American Chemical Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Award in Nuclear Chemistry.

51���� the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute

The University of Tennessee–Oak Ridge Innovation Institute was established in 2021 to accelerate research and talent development through the combined strengths of the 51���� and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. UT-ORII serves as the umbrella for UT–ORNL collaborative research and joint graduate education programs, including the Bredesen Center, and supports five convergent research initiatives in areas of national and state importance. Together, UT and ORNL are advancing discovery and developing the next generation of STEM talent to drive innovation for Tennessee and the nation. Learn more about UT-ORII at .