Oak Ridge National Laboratory has appointed Budhendra “Budhu” Bhaduri, most recently director of science, programs and partnerships at ORNL’s National Security Sciences Directorate, as its first chief data officer.
As federal agencies and national laboratories continue to elevate data and AI leadership roles, conversations around strategy and implementation remain top of mind across government and industry. Sign up now for the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 18 and join leaders for discussions on emerging AI priorities.
ORNL said Friday the creation of the new executive role seeks to unify the lab’s enterprise data strategy and support mission delivery across energy, open science and national security programs.
“Establishing a Chief Data Officer underscores ORNL’s commitment to treating data as a strategic asset for science and operations,” said Susan Hubbard, ORNL’s deputy for science and technology. “Budhu’s proven leadership in complex, data-intensive programs will help unify our enterprise data strategy, modernize our architecture and governance, and accelerate responsible, AI-enabled discovery.”
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What Are Bhaduri’s Responsibilities as ORNL Chief Data Officer?
Bhaduri will report to the deputy for science and technology within the laboratory director’s office and work with the chief information officer and associate lab directors to align data infrastructure, governance and enterprise strategy across ORNL’s facilities and organizations.
In this capacity, he will help execute initiatives to accelerate research and improve operations. He will also chair the ORNL Data Governance Council and collaborate with leaders of facilities and AI-intensive projects, including those supporting the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission.
Who Is Budhu Bhaduri?
Bhaduri is an ORNL Corporate Research Fellow who joined the national lab in 1998 as a research scientist.
He led ORNL’s Geospatial Science and Human Security Division from 2018 to 2024. He also founded and directed the lab’s Urban Dynamics Institute, where he advanced data-driven research on complex urban systems.
He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Geographers. He holds a master’s degree from Kent State University and a doctorate from Purdue University.
What Is DOE Genesis?
The Genesis Mission is a DOE-led national initiative that aims to develop a scientific platform to drive energy innovation, accelerate discovery science and strengthen national security.
Formed through a November executive order, the mission seeks to connect leading supercomputers, AI systems, experimental facilities and unique scientific datasets to double the research productivity and impact of U.S. research and innovation within 10 years.
To support the mission, ORNL established the Next Generation Data Centers Institute to help address AI energy demands.
DOE recently announced 26 science and technology challenges intended to advance the Genesis Mission and accelerate AI-enabled innovation.
In December, the department signed agreements with NVIDIA, Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Google, Oracle, Microsoft and 18 other organizations to advance the Genesis Mission and announced a $320 million investment to accelerate the development of AI capabilities in support of the initiative.
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