The University serves Virginia, the nation, and the world by preparing responsible citizen-leaders; advancing, preserving, and disseminating knowledge; and providing world-class patient care.
All gifts of any kind help secure the University’s place as a premier institution of learning and make it possible for our students, faculty, and researchers to shape a brighter future.
You can give to all 12 schools across Grounds. The possibilities are endless for supporting our students, faculty, and programs. Together, we will find the way forward.
You can join the growing number of alumni and friends who invest now in the University’s future by including UVA as a beneficiary of their wills, charitable trusts, and retirement plans. Gifts like these can offer you and your family significant tax benefits as well as greater financial flexibility in meeting your personal and philanthropic goals.
The Honor the Future campaign, the largest in University history, concluded in 2025, thanks to thousands of loyal supporters. Its impact on students, faculty, facilities, and research reaches across Charlottesville, Wise County, and Northern Virginia as it continues to advance the school in its third century of service to the commonwealth, nation, and world.
Phil Bourne is the founding dean of the School of Data Science. Before joining the faculty of the University of Virginia in 2017 as professor of biomedical engineering, he served as the first associate director for data science at the National Institutes of Health. A world-renowned biomedical and data science researcher, he has published over 350 papers and five books, launched four companies, received numerous awards, and been elected as fellow to multiple scientific societies. Bourne is one of the 10 most cited scholars in the history of UVA, according to Google Scholar.
1. How will private support help you achieve your vision for the School of Data Science?
Private support has already had a huge impact. Thanks to Jaffray Woodriff (McIntire ’91) and the Quantitative Foundation, with the largest gift in the University’s history, we were able to become the first school of data science in the nation, setting the standard for all to follow. Couple that with recent gifts from Beth and Scott (Engr ’79) Stephenson for need-based undergraduate scholarships and an additional gift from Jaffray toward a second building, our position as a leader in data science is assured.
As privileged as we are, there is more to do. Our student enrollment is limited only by our ability to hire enough qualified teachers and researchers. We also wish to make data science accessible, with the idea in mind of giving as many students as possible something I was privileged to have as a first-generation student: a debt-free education. Graduates of our programs should go forth unburdened and focused on addressing today’s greatest societal problems that rely on data science solutions.
Data science is, in my view, central to the future of higher education. That future will involve bold advances in research and an ever-increasing role for philanthropy. For example, we are creating solutions labs that bring together faculty, students, and external partners to tackle pressing societal challenges with data-driven approaches. These collaborative efforts will not only push the boundaries of AI and data science research but also translate discoveries into practical tools that benefit communities well beyond the University.
2. The School of Data Science is highlighted as a key initiative in the University’s 2030 strategic plan. How does the school work across Grounds to position UVA as a leader?
We are honored to be a distinct part of the 2030 plan, which also extends to the school being the first academic building on the new Emmet Ivy Corridor. This extension of Grounds will be a new “nexus of discovery,” and we aim to set an example. Our mantra is a “School Without Walls,” which is apt as data science pervades all fields and disciplines. We are determined to connect across Grounds and foster open collaboration. To date, this includes joint faculty hires with the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Another is the formation of collaboratories like the Darden-SDS Collaboratory for Applied Data Science, where researchers from both schools work together on joint initiatives culminating in workshops and joint AI-based ventures.
On the educational front, we are establishing concentrations in our B.S. in Data Science, which cuts across many disciplines and schools. Since launching the undergraduate major in fall 2024 with 75 second-years and enrollment in the data science minor topping over 800, it is clear that students see data science as a pathway to the future.
3. What interests and excites people most when you meet with them and talk about data science at UVA?
I often speak to stakeholders from all walks of life, such is the reach of data science. I periodically write a Dean’s Blog, and devoted one post to a day in the life of the dean. As I state there, the hardest part of my job is figuring out what not to do and to prioritize that which we will do. I am often approached by companies and individuals in need of our data science assets—knowledge, skills, students, and faculty. Such conversations often lead toward a capstone project and, I hope soon, student internship opportunities for our undergraduates. Each of our 250 or so master’s students complete a capstone to gain practical experience as they develop their theoretical skills. From the client’s perspective, they get to work with smart, motivated, highly skilled students on a real problem their company or institution is trying to solve. The entire process deepens trust between the School of Data Science and external stakeholders and may lead to follow-on projects. We also select projects based on projected student experience and those with the greatest societal benefit.
4. You’ve lived in and traveled to places around the world. How does Charlottesville suit you and what are you drawn to on Grounds?
Yes, I have lived in London and Sheffield in the UK, Adelaide in Australia—where I did my undergraduate and graduate studies—and New York, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., in the U.S. before landing in Charlottesville. My wife, Roma, and I never thought we would enjoy living anywhere as much as San Diego, but we like Charlottesville even more. It’s the people. We belong to a hiking group and have made lots of friends outside of the University, yet they all feel connected to it in some way.
Closer to Grounds, Dean Ian Solomon from the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and John Unsworth, former dean of the Library, and I are core members of the Hell’s Administrators, a motorcycle gang that rides together every few weeks. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive are one of the great motorcycle rides of the world, and I’ve ridden bikes across several continents in my lifetime. It’s all part of a closeness among University leaders, faculty, and students that I haven’t experienced at previous institutions. Many of our alumni know this already.
5. What energizes you most about what is ahead for UVA?
Last year, I posed the question to President Jim Ryan and Provost Ian Baucom: “Why are we reactionary to developments like ChatGPT and not actionary?” That is, why are we not anticipating these innovations and getting out in front of them? Obviously, it’s a hard task but worth a try, even if we are wrong a good part of the time. Both agreed and provided strategic initiative funds to investigate the future of higher education, launching the Futures Initiative.
A group of 40 leaders from across Grounds met in 2024 to debate the future of higher education. A highlight was inviting three university presidents to join President Ryan for a discussion that gave us much to think about: Michael Crow from Arizona State University, Harriet Nembhard from Harvey Mudd, and Santa Ono from the University of Michigan. The result of these deliberations is a set of bold recommendations, including establishing a Futures Institute to continue the work with goal-oriented research, public-private partnerships, and educational modalities that are both global and immersive. All agreed that the future of higher education will be radically different 50 years from now than what we know today, with many new possibilities. My guess is that data science will be driving many of those possibilities. I can’t wait.
