Budhendra L Bhaduri

Budhu L Bhaduri

Director, Geospatial Science and Human Security Division

Dr. Budhendra “Budhu’ Bhaduri is the director of the Geospatial Science and Human Security Division and a Corporate Research Fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).  In that capacity he is responsible for an interdisciplinary research portfolio focused on human dynamics, geographic data science, remote sensing, scalable geocomputation, and special communications and autonomous systems.  Previously he led the Geographic Information Science & Technology research group in Computational Science and Engineering Division.  Additionally, between 2014-2019, he founded and led ORNL’s Urban Dynamics Institute, a cross-disciplinary initiative across the laboratory that fostered a data driven understanding of complex urban systems.  Over his career, he has catalyzed the integration of geographical sciences in the laboratory’s as well as the Department of Energy’s mission.  His professional interests and experience cover novel implementation of geospatial science and technology for a wide variety of programs supporting energy, environment, and national security missions across the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security.  Dr. Bhaduri’s research has had global impact and has benefited the U.S. federal missions, international organizations, and private foundations. 

Dr. Bhaduri is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Association of Geographers (AAG), and currently serves on the Geographical Sciences Committee of the National Academy of Sciences.  He is a founding member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geospatial Sciences Steering Committee and a recipient of the Department’s Outstanding Mentor Award for his dedicated service for developing future workforce for the nation.  He routinely serves on national and international expert panels and has published extensively in leading scientific journals.  He holds professorial appointments with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is actively involved with academic institutions for scientific collaborations and student engagement for research in geospatial science. 

Dr. Bhaduri received his Ph.D. in Earth & Atmospheric Sciences from Purdue University.  He has a MS from Kent State University, and a M.Sc. and a B.Sc. in Geology from University of Calcutta, India. 

2021 Secretary of Energy Achievement Award, National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory Team

2021 Sustainability Science Award, Ecological Society of America

2020 Distinguished Innovation Award, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

2019 Excellence in Technology Transfer Award, Federal Laboratory Consortium

2018 James R. Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography, American Association of Geographers

2018 Special Achievement in GIS Award, Environmental Systems Research Institute, California

2017 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science

2017 Carolyn Merry Mentoring Award, University Consortium for Geographic Information Science

2012 Award for R&D Group Leadership and achievement of international recognition for programmatic scientific impacts, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

2010 Homeland Security Award in the field of Emergency Response, Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and Agusta-Westland North America

2005 Director’s Award for Outstanding Individual Accomplishments in Community Service, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

2002 Outstanding Mentor Award, Office of Science Undergraduate Research Programs, Department of Energy