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Under the leadership of President Brian O. Hemphill, Old Dominion University is pleased to announce plans for the creation of a new School of Data Science, featuring a unique collaboration with nearby Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory (or JLab, a Department of Energy national laboratory) and NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The School of Data Science will offer interdisciplinary academic programming for undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree students.

One of the features of the planned School of Data Science is a unique collaboration with nearby national laboratories. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory (JLab) is the newest Department of Energy national laboratory, with a world leading emphasis on nuclear physics, employs more than 800 people, and its mission includes "to provide forefront scientific facilities, opportunities and leadership essential for discovering the fundamental structure of nuclear matter". NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is the oldest NASA center, employs more than 3,400 people, and "works to make revolutionary improvements to aviation, expand understanding of Earth's atmosphere and develop technology for space exploration." We plan to select researchers from JLab and LaRC to have faculty roles in the new School. In addition, a new Joint Institute on Advanced Computing for Environmental Studies also has been established between ODU and JLab (with opportunities for collaboration with LaRC) to address resilience and population health challenges in southeastern Virginia and beyond through a combination of cutting-edge computational approaches and community-engaged participatory research. Successful candidates will be able to work across all three institutions in collaborating with researchers at the two national laboratories.

ODU's School of Data Science currently includes more than 150 faculty from a range of disciplines including but not limited to computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, psychology, criminal justice, education, business, information technology, history, and philosophy.