Jeffrey Blume Named Interim Dean of the University of Virginia School of Data Science
The University of Virginia School of Data Science has named Jeffrey Blume as interim Stephenson Dean, effective immediately, following the passing of Founding Dean Philip Bourne.
Blume, a data scientist and biostatistician who served as the Quantitative Foundation associate dean for academic and faculty affairs, will guide the School during this transitional period while the University prepares for the next phase of leadership. The appointment ensures continuity for the School’s academic programs, research initiatives and community partnerships as it continues advancing its mission of responsible data science for the common good.
“I appreciate Jeffrey's willingness to step in to lead the School of Data Science during this difficult time,” said Brie Gertler, interim executive vice president and provost. “Dean Bourne relied on Jeffrey as a member of his senior leadership team, and I am grateful that the School will continue to benefit from Jeffrey's experience and good judgment as he serves as interim dean.”
Blume joined the School of Data Science in 2021. Prior to UVA, Blume co-founded the Data Science Institute at Vanderbilt University, where he served as director of graduate education and vice chair of education in biostatistics, and as tenured professor with joint appointments in biomedical informatics and biochemistry. He has consistently led or co-led the development of interdisciplinary training programs, including the Master of Science in Data Science and graduate programs in biostatistics (M.S. and Ph.D.) at Vanderbilt, the Master of Public Health program at Brown University, and the Big Biomedical Data Science (BIDS) doctoral training program at Vanderbilt.
He is internationally recognized for contributions to statistical inference and prediction science, particularly in diagnostic and screening methods, and is the inventor of second-generation p-values, which resolve the mismatch between how classical p-values are defined and how they are routinely misinterpreted in practice. His research includes foundational contributions to likelihood-based inference, mediation modeling, missing data in prediction models, clinical trials analysis, false discovery rates, and ROC curve methodology, with an emphasis on the interpretability and reliability of predictive models in high-stakes biomedical settings.
His collaborative research spans a wide range of domains, including cancer diagnosis and screening, clinical trials, radiology, nephrology, functional neuroimaging, structural biology, and women’s health. He has played a leading role in interdisciplinary efforts to improve risk prediction and screening strategies, particularly in lung cancer, where his recent work has shaped approaches to evaluating clinical utility and model performance for high-risk populations.
Blume holds a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in statistics from the University of Buffalo.
As interim dean, Blume will work closely with faculty, staff, students, and partners across the University to sustain the School’s momentum in education, research, and public engagement. He will continue to lead the development of new programs and the growth of faculty and staff, with UVA uniquely positioned to advance and realize the promise of data science as a transformative interdisciplinary field.
“It is an honor to take on this role, and I see it first and foremost as a service to the School’s faculty, staff, and students,” Blume said. “We have an extraordinary community, and my goal is to support their continued success while positioning the School to build on the strong foundation already in place.”
Blume emphasized the broader significance of data science in shaping the future of research, education, and society. “The data age is here, and it is reshaping every discipline. There is no turning back. Data increasingly shapes our daily lives — from how we communicate, to how we manage infrastructure like traffic systems, to how our food is grown, to how we learn. It underpins advances in artificial intelligence and is transforming how we understand an increasingly connected world.”
Blume emphasized the School’s role in preparing students and advancing understanding in this rapidly evolving landscape. The School is developing new courses and conducting research to explore the role of data in artificial intelligence, public health, genomics, politics, ethics, public policy, and even history and philosophy.
“Our mission is to make quantitative reasoning with data — and an understanding of how AI works — accessible to all who want to learn. We study the impact of AI on science and society, as well as how people learn with AI, and we bring those insights directly into the classroom.”
The School of Data Science, established in 2019 as the first of its kind in the nation, has rapidly grown into a hub for interdisciplinary research and education. The School offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs and collaborates with partners across the University and beyond to advance responsible data science.
Additional details about leadership plans and the process for identifying the School’s next permanent dean will be shared with the community in the coming months.
