The Alexander Prize is named for former UT president and now US Senator Lamar Alexander and his wife, Honey, to recognize superior teaching and distinguished scholarship.
Belle Upadhyaya
This year’s Alexander Prize honors the teaching and research of Belle Upadhyaya, a core member of UT’s Department of Nuclear Engineering. He is an elected fellow of both the American Nuclear Society and the International Society of Automation, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Upadhyaya helped establish the National Science Foundation–funded Reliability and Maintainability Center at UT. He has developed state-of-the-art technologies such as smart field devices and has helped bring national recognition to the nuclear engineering program, particularly for its roles in reactor control, instrumentation, system monitoring, and diagnosis research and development.
His expertise has led him to visiting lecturer positions throughout Europe, South America, and Asia, including national nuclear energy institutes in France, the Netherlands, and South Korea.
Upadhyaya has published more than 325 articles and helped author more than 130 research reports. He has mentored more than fifty doctoral and master’s students.