The University of Virginia School of Data Science on Tuesday announced a gift of $2 million from Capital One’s Center for Machine Learning to name the central hub for the school’s new building, set for groundbreaking in the fall at the corner of Emmet Street and Ivy Road.

This transformative gift from Capital One to the School of Data Science will substantially advance its mission to be a national and international leader in responsible data science, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, which results in furthering discovery, sharing knowledge and societal benefit.

The Board of Visitors approved the design of the new School of Data Science building at its December meeting.

“I am delighted that UVA will partner with Capital One in the construction of the Capital One Hub at the School of Data Science.” UVA President Jim Ryan said. “With this support, we will build a collaborative space for new research and scholarship in the field of data science, for the advancement of the field and the betterment of society. I am grateful for this financial support, and I look forward to seeing the building progress in the months ahead.”

Located at the east entrance to the Emmet-Ivy corridor, the four-story, 60,000-square-foot School of Data Science will include adaptive classrooms, faculty offices, meeting and research areas. (Photo courtesy of Hopkins Architects and DumontJanks)

The School of Data Science’s building will be the first academic building constructed on the 14.5-acre Emmet-Ivy parcel as part of the Emmet-Ivy corridor. The plan for the site includes nexuses focused on “creativity,” “democracy” and “discovery.”

The School of Data Science will anchor the “discovery” nexus. Collaborative areas and public spaces in each building – including the Capital One Hub and the outdoor terrace of the School of Data Science – and a central public landscape will connect the corridor and bring people from across the University and community together in new ways.

As a prime gathering place for learning, sharing ideas, research, teaching and community interaction, the Capital One Hub will promote opportunities for discovery across students, faculty, community members and practitioners.

“Data science and data analytics has always been core to Capital One’s DNA, and we’ve been proud to support the growth of data science talent through our partnership with UVA,” Capital One CIO Rob Alexander said. “UVA approaches data science with a true understanding of how interdisciplinary this work is, helping students learn and engage in innovative research and projects across data science, machine learning and data analytics. With the Capital One Hub at UVA’s School of Data Science, we look forward to further advancing the field and helping data science students unlock innovation.”

“Our ability to innovate and grow is enhanced by gifts such as Capital One’s,” Philip Bourne, Stephenson Dean of the School of Data Science, said. “We are pleased that this highly visible and frequented space in our new building will feature the Capital One name – especially given the engagement with the school since the beginning. This engagement includes creating a workforce pipeline and exciting research projects taking place over a number of years – a data science company meets a data science school. The Capital One Hub will expand these interactions to a broader set of stakeholders from UVA and beyond.”

Located at the east entrance to the Emmet-Ivy corridor, the four-story, 60,000 square-foot facility will include adaptive classrooms, faculty offices, meeting and research areas, and feature public spaces such as the fourth-floor continuous terrace with views of the adjacent pond and Rotunda, which will be open to the University and broader communities alike.

Additional naming opportunities for the building include a green terrace, student reading room, central atrium and lobby spaces, open hardware lab and data wall, wellness room, classrooms and more. For additional information, including a video “flythrough” of the design, click here.

“This early support will generate excitement as we begin to share the vision of the building and the school with alumni, parents, friends and other corporate partners,” Bourne said.