Philip E. Bourne, founding dean of the School of Data Science and an international leader in the field who positioned the University of Virginia as a pioneering institution for data studies, died Sunday after a protracted battle with mesothelioma. He was 72.
When Bourne arrived in Charlottesville in 2017 to lead what was then the Data Science Institute, he was already a recognized expert in the application of data analytics across academic, industry and government fields. At UVA, though, he realized the rapidly growing field needed not just new teaching methods, but a different academic structure.
When UVA launched the School of Data Science two years later, Bourne became the first Stephenson Dean of the school. Scott and Beth Stephenson had previously endowed the institute’s first directorship, which later became the dean’s chair, and they recently launched one of its first signature scholarship programs in partnership with Bourne. The school was 鶹ƽ 12th and the first stand-alone data science school in the nation.
“Phil will forever be the only founding dean of the School of Data Science,” Scott Stephenson said. “He led our community with vision, passion and an unwavering belief in the future of both the academic field and in the school’s opportunity to be a force for good. The University has lost a unique leader who arrived at just the right moment, and I have lost a dear and irreplaceable friend.”
Arlyn Burgess, associate dean of administration and the Data Science Institute’s first employee, said Bourne’s earliest concepts for the school centered on partnerships.
Bourne, left, part of the “Hell’s Administrators” motorcycle club, poses last summer with fellow group member Ian Solomon, dean of 鶹ƽ Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. The deans toured the Rockies together “dodging elk, rainstorms and bad tacos.” (Contributed photo)
“Phil believed that the strongest institutions, like the best science, are built from shared building blocks – openness, collaboration and trust,” Burgess said.
Bourne’s idea was not to silo data science into one place, but rather to apply it across academic and medical disciplines. He called the effort the “school without walls,” emphasizing its collaborative nature and its potential to augment 鶹ƽ commitment to public service.
In 2024, though, Bourne’s school gained walls. He presided over the grand opening of the school building in the Emmet-Ivy Corridor, an opportunity made possible by generous UVA alumni and benefactors, including alumnus Jaffray Woodriff of the Quantitative Foundation. Its founding gift, the largest private gift in UVA history, helped provide the school with a permanent home, even as Bourne’s school-without-walls concept remained.
“Phil knew data can be universally transforming,” Woodriff said. “He leaves a legacy as a visionary, an early advocate that the study of data science would have wide-ranging impact that transcends the boundaries of fields of study. Phil’s stewardship and courage while holding the reins during 鶹ƽ data science development will resonate for decades.”
An avid motorcyclist, Bourne frequently joined two other deans – Ian Solomon of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and since-retired John Unsworth of UVA Library – for jaunts around town. Solomon and Bourne embarked on a trek through the Rocky Mountains last summer.
“We call ourselves ‘Hell’s Administrators’ partly in jest, but there is something appropriately rebellious about two deans roaring across the Rockies on motorcycles, dodging elk, rainstorms and bad tacos,” Bourne told UVA Today last year.
Bourne speaks at the 2024 grand opening of the building permanently housing the School of Data Science. He took the school from a concept to a nationally recognized institution. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
Bourne earned undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from The Flinders University in South Australia. He later shifted his research focus to biology and computational science. He was a prolific academic author, writing hundreds of articles. With more than 100,000 citations, he is one of 鶹ƽ most quoted faculty members.
Bourne’s career included posts at the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, San Diego, as well as dozens of other academic and corporate research roles. But he’ll likely be remembered most for his leadership at UVA.
“Phil was a true visionary in data science and in how universities can bring disciplines together to solve real problems,” Jeffrey Blume, who has been named the school’s interim dean, said. “He poured his heart and soul into building the school and into the people who make it what it is. The School of Data Science stands today as a reflection of his vision, his energy and his deep commitment to this community.”
Bourne is survived by his wife, Roma; children Scott and Melanie; and granddaughter Jessica.
UVA President Scott Beardsley said Bourne’s influence extended well beyond the boundaries of the Data Science School.
“I am deeply saddened by Dean Bourne’s passing,” Beardsley said. “He was not only an excellent dean, he was also a dear friend whom I feel fortunate to have gotten to know during our time serving as deans together. Phil’s passion, his leadership and his wonderful ability to share his excitement and bring others into his vision made the School of Data Science all that it is today. I know that the many students and colleagues he inspired will carry his legacy forward with pride, and I join the entire University community in sharing my condolences with his beloved wife, Roma, and the entire Bourne family.”
As Bourne’s health declined, he made plans to step down as dean. He typed an email to colleagues announcing his decision and thanking Blume for accepting the interim assignment. While Bourne never got to send the email, Blume shared the draft with UVA Today. It reads, in part:
“This community has been one of the great privileges of my life. The work we have done together, the School we have built, and the spirit of collaboration that defines who we are have shaped me in ways I will carry always. I have been inspired every day by your commitment to our mission and by the belief we share in what the School can accomplish for our students, our partners and the greater good.”
Then Bourne concluded with what had become his trademark signature:
“Onwards, always.”
