Carolyn J. Anderson, an internationally renowned radiopharmaceutical scientist, is joining the Tickle College of Engineering as the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair for Nuclear Medicine: Radiopharmaceutical Therapies, beginning August 1.
Anderson will hold a joint appointment as a professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and a researcher in ORNL’s Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate. In her role, Anderson will help advance targeted cancer therapies and strengthen Tennessee’s growing leadership in nuclear medicine while mentoring the next generation of scientific leaders in radiopharmaceutical therapies.
“What really attracted me to the idea of being at UT and ORNL is all the capabilities that are already here, all the work that’s already going on, and all the labs that are already built,” Anderson said. “I can walk into fully functioning labs, and we can enhance them with the additional money that will be put into this whole program of radiopharmaceuticals.”
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.
Anderson will be working with UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute’s Development and Advancement of Radiopharmaceutical Therapies convergent research initiative, collaborating with experts from ORNL, UT, the UT Health Science Center, UT Medical Center and other organizations to accelerate the development of next-generation radiopharmaceutical therapies.
“The Department of Nuclear Engineering is thrilled to have Carolyn Anderson join our faculty to assist with growing our research and teaching in nuclear chemistry and nuclear medicine,” NE TVA Department Chair Brian Wirth said. “Carolyn is one of the world’s leading radiochemists and her breadth of experience working with industry in the development of metal-based radiopharmaceuticals establishes her to provide leadership and mentorship to both our faculty and our partnerships in Tennessee. We are looking forward to the impact and opportunities that she will provide to our department.”
‘Coming Full Circle’
Anderson joins UT from the University of Missouri, where she served 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.
Before joining the Missouri faculty 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.
“Coming to Tennessee feels like coming full circle. I spent part of my graduate career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it played an important role in shaping me as a scientist,” said Anderson, who has a lake house in nearby Dandridge and is eager to explore the gravel biking and hiking trails in East Tennessee. “I love this region and I love seeing it grow. I am very excited to return.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Several of Anderson’s current industry partners have expressed interest in continuing to work with her at UT. She also hopes to take advantage of UT’s proximity to the thriving nuclear corridor and establish new relationships with companies in the greater Knoxville area.
Throughout her career, Anderson has mentored numerous undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. One of her students from Missouri is joining her at UT.
Anderson has always prioritized having undergraduate students working in her lab to give them early exposure to research. She wants to teach nuclear and radiochemistry students at the basic level when they first arrive at UT to generate excitement about the career paths they can take in the field.
“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.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])