Futures Initiative

Phil Bourne’s leadership of the School of Data Science, and indeed an animating trait of his career, was an unyielding focus on what’s possible. 

It would lead him to develop a protein databank that garnered him international scientific renown, with his overall body of work earning more than 100,000 citations, placing him among the most-cited researchers in UVA history; to success in private industry and academia, including many years spent at the University of California San Diego; to the halls of government where he, in 2014, became the first associate director for data science at the National Institutes of Health. Ultimately, Bourne’s leadership would lead him to UVA, first as director of the Data Science Institute, and then as the founding dean at the first-ever School of Data Science.

“One of the most amazing things about Phil, to me, is when everybody else is thinking about what’s happening today, what’s happening tomorrow, what’s happening next month, he’s always thinking about what’s happening 10 years from now,” said Arlyn Burgess, associate dean for administration at the School of Data Science. Burgess, the first employee of the then Data Science Institute, worked closely with Bourne since his arrival in Charlottesville in 2017.

It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that Bourne conceived and helped spearhead the development of UVA’s Futures Initiative, aimed at positioning the University to proactively respond to rapidly evolving external events over the next decade, including artificial intelligence.

Comprised of a wide range of activities and programming, the initiative’s goal is to leave UVA “in a better place,” according to Bourne.

A little more than a year after its launch, the University would find itself part of a national focus on higher education following a change in presidential administrations in Washington, particularly over the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Amid scrutiny from the Justice Department, UVA President Jim Ryan announced his resignation in June 2025.

When reflecting on UVA’s future and the role of higher education in society, Bourne acknowledged the challenges of the past year while striking a hopeful note.

“UVA’s been around for 200 years. It’s going to come out of this and, in some ways, it’ll be stronger,” he said.

A visionary until the end, Bourne also discussed what he believed was needed to position the University for future success amid the transformative and, in some ways, disruptive forces buffeting it, including artificial intelligence. 

“The first part is to have a vision. … It’s a charter that everybody gets behind. We don’t have that at the University for AI. It’s just a random set of activities. We don’t yet have it in the School, but we’re moving toward it,” he said, adding that the infrastructure and effective organizational structure are also critical.

In 2025, Bourne was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer. On March 8, 2026, he died, survived by his wife, Roma; son Scott (Molly); daughter Melanie; and granddaughter Jessica.

His passing reverberated across the University and scientific community. 

“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,” said UVA President Scott Beardsley, who served alongside Bourne many years during his tenure as dean of the Darden School of Business. 

Professor Jeffrey Blume, who was tapped as the School’s interim dean, said Bourne “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.”

In one of his last interviews before his death, when plans to step down amid failing health were underway, Bourne, a dean who insisted that his office be no larger than any other faculty member’s at the School of Data Science, begged off a question about how he hoped to be remembered, preferring not to think of himself in grandiose terms.

When asked what he was most proud of, however, the answer took no time at all to summon: “Everybody. Everybody at the School.”

The many tributes to Bourne posted on social media and elsewhere in the days that followed often invoked his signature, “Onwards.” While Bourne’s service to the people and School he loved is now complete, his impact and legacy proceeds onwards, toward new discoveries, toward new ideas, and in the lives of generations of students to come.