Authority on core techniques for machine learning to speak May 17

By David Doremus

John Elder, Ph.D., founder and chair of Charlottesville-based Elder Research, is the visiting scholar for the JMU College of Business' Analytics Symposium on Tuesday, May 17.

The daylong event begins at 10:00 a.m. in Showker Hall, Room 1112, where Elder will give a presentation titled “The Power and Peril of Predictive Analysis.” Admission is free, and all are welcome. The talk will be geared to those with an interest in the fundamentals of data analytics, including “machine learning.”

A workshop at 1:30 p.m. will focus on core machine-learning and data-science techniques. Using business case-studies, Elder will compare the leading machine-learning algorithms, and show how to select the method and tool best suited to a given project.

Founded in 1995, Elder Research describes itself as the nation's most seasoned data-science consultancy. In addition to its home office in Charlottesville, it operates field offices in Washington, D.C.; Maryland; North Carolina and London.

Elder has led teams tasked with solving some of the most complex problems in the field of data analytics, including detection of fraud, identification of insider threats and market timing.

A popular keynote speaker and occasional adjunct professor of engineering at the University of Virginia, Elder is credited with having contributed to the discovery of ensemble methods. He has co-authored award-winning books and chaired international conferences.

Earlier in his career, Elder served on a panel appointed by former President George W. Bush to formulate technology guidelines for the U.S. Dept. of Defense.