Kenneth Tobin, Ph.D.

Kenneth W. Tobin, Ph.D., serves as chief research and university partnerships officer. In this role, he enhances ORAU’s scientific research opportunities and expands partnerships with universities, national laboratories and private industry. Under his direction, the Research and University Partnerships office provides awards to ORAU member universities, identifies and promotes funding opportunities by facilitating inter-institutional relationships, and leverages relationships with other organizations to support increased funding for scientific research and education.

Prior to joining ORAU, Tobin served as director of the office of institutional planning at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Before that, he was the director of the reactor and nuclear systems division at ORNL. He has been recognized as an ORNL corporate research fellow, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Tobin earned his doctoral degree in nuclear energy from University of Virginia and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.