Dr. John Elder serves as Vice President and Technical Fellow for Data Science within MANTECH’s Data and AI Practice, where he provides technical leadership, thought leadership, and strategic guidance on advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI solutions supporting mission-critical government and commercial programs.

John brings more than three decades of experience advancing practical data science. He founded Elder Research in 1995, building one of the nation’s most experienced data science consultancies and leading hundreds of successful analytics engagements. His work has helped organizations turn complex data into operational insight at scale.

A recognized authority in the field, John co-authored three influential books on data mining, ensemble methods, and text mining—two of which received “book of the year” honors. He is widely credited as a pioneer of ensemble modeling techniques and is a frequent keynote speaker, instructor, and conference chair in the global data science community.

John holds engineering degrees from Rice University and the University of Virginia, where he also serves as an adjunct professor. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to a national panel advising on technology for national security.