Philip E. Bourne served as the first Stephenson Dean of the School of Data Science from SDS’s founding in 2019 until his passing Sunday. Prior, Bourne had arrived in Charlottesville in 2017 to lead the then-Data Science Institute, before the University became the first university nationally to establish a stand-alone school dedicated to data science.
Bourne passed away at 72 after a battle with mesothelioma. Colleagues have said they will remember him for his passion, collaborative spirit and transformative aspirations for the field of data science.
Aside from his accolades as dean, Bourne is a world-renowned biomedical and data science researcher, author and leader. According to Google Scholar, Bourne ranks as one of the most highly-cited scholars in the University’s history, having written over 400 papers and five books that are often quoted by fellow scholars…