
Data Science for the Public Good

Young Scholars Program
The program runs for 10 weeks in the Summer, from May 29, 2023 to August 4, 2023. Selected interested students may continue working with Social and Decision Analytics in the Fall and Spring.
Where: Arlington, Virginia
When: Late May through early August
Eligibility: We accept undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any U.S. university. Graduates should have strong quantitative/analytical skills.
Application deadline: March 3, 2023
Data Scientists for the Future
Our goal for this program is to help develop tomorrow's data science workforce. For us, that means a workforce with computational and analytical skills honed within the context of interdisciplinary team science; a workforce committed to seeing and grappling with ethical issues while serving the public good. We've designed the program so that your experience as a Young Scholar will reflect that vision.
The Undergraduate Experience
Working in small, transdisciplinary teams, you'll conduct research at the intersection of statistics, computation and the social sciences. Whatever your major, as an undergraduate intern you'll learn to apply new analytics and research skills as you advance real-life Biocomplexity Institute projects. Each team has a graduate student lead, and all students are individually mentored by researchers in the Institute's Social and Decision Analytics division.
The Graduate Experience
In an integrated team setting, we train young scholars to leverage community-generated data for public well-being. As a graduate fellow, you'll work alongside division faculty and postdocs to lead, support and guide undergraduate interns. Fellows receive individualized mentorship, career training and publication opportunities.
The Annual Symposium
Your summer of research is capped by the Data Science for the Public Good Symposium, a signature event that brings together scientists and industry decision-makers and students who share the common goal of improving human lives. During the Symposium, Young Scholars showcase their projects in a series of poster sessions, sharing their research with an audience from academia, government, and industry.
The American Soldier in World War II
Working with a graduate fellow and mentored by Institute faculty, undergraduate intern and UVA student Chase Dawson and his teammates analyzed GIs’ survey responses produced as part of a federally-funded digital history project to draw insights on attitudes around ethnic, racial and gender relations.
We, the Community
Our Data Science for Public Good Forum is a partnership among UVA’s School of Data Science, Darden School of Business, and Equity Center. Our Forum goal is to bring together key public and private stakeholders to discuss and plan how “doing data science” can support evidence-based policymaking and innovation to enhance the quality of life where we all live, learn, work, and play.