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Hazen Named Director of Institute for Secure and Sustainable Environment

Terry HazenCOE Dean Wayne T. Davis is pleased to announce that Terry Hazen, Governor’s Chair Professor, will be named the Director of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE) effective August 1, 2015.

Hazen holds faculty appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Microbiology, and Earth and Planetary Sciences and is a Faculty Fellow at Oak Ridge National Lab. He is also affiliated with the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, the UT-ORNL Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, and the Center for Environmental Biotechnology. He joined the University in 2011.

Hazen brings a wealth of experience in leading large multidisciplinary teams investigating complex questions related to the environment. Prior to coming to UT, Hazen was a Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). While at LBNL, he led the Microbial Communities Division, the Center for Environmental Biotechnology, and the Ecology Department. He also directed two programs in the Energy Biosciences Institute responsible for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Systems Biology investigation and the Microbial Enhanced Hydrocarbon Recovery program. Previously to that he held appointments with the Westinghouse Savannah River Company and the University of Puerto Rico.

Hazen’s research interests are in the areas of microbial ecology and environmental systems biology applied to remediation of hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, metals, radionuclides, and energy related issues including climate change, bioenergy production, and shale gas production.

Hazen is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a two-time recipient of the R&D 100 Award, and the George Westinghouse Innovation Award. He has nearly 300 publications and has been awarded five patents.

Hazen received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1973 and his Master’s degree in 1974, both in interdepartmental biology from Michigan State University. He earned is PhD in Parasitology-Ecology from Wake Forest University in 1978.

Hazen will succeed Chris Cox, who has directed ISSE since 2011 and began serving as department head for Civil and Environmental Engineering on May 1. Hazen and Cox will be working closely together over the coming weeks to facilitate a smooth transition in leadership. The college would like to express its sincere appreciation to Cox for his leadership of ISSE.

Dean Davis would also like to take this opportunity to thank Cox for serving as director of ISSE during a time of change and transition, including the center becoming housed in the college. His service is much appreciated.