Elder Research

Our team had a great time this week in Tampa connecting with defense leaders and learning more about impactful work happening across the industry. We’re proud to be part of the MANTECH team, and we remain committed to helping the defense industry solve its toughest data challenges.

What does it really take to see ROI from data and AI? Join us next Wednesday, January 21, as our team shares real stories and practical tips on what actually makes data and AI projects successful. It starts with pressing pause and asking some important business questions, including: ⚬ Are we solving the right business problem? ⚬ Are our leaders fully equipped to propose the right projects? ⚬ Are we prioritizing analytics projects according to the business value they deliver? 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/ef7rnDk4 You’ll hear fresh perspectives from across our team: Stephen Assink, Technical Business Analyst Shaylee Davis, Data Scientist Josh Fairchild, Senior Technical Business Analyst Leah Severance, Commercial Business Development Director Ramzi Ziade, Learning Engagement Manager If you’re looking for ways to drive real ROI with data, analytics, and AI, this webinar is for you. 🧑💻 Save your spot today for this free event, and bring your questions! Big thanks to the team at Data Science Connect for hosting.

AI isn't valuable until it’s operationalized and used by our clients. That mindset has helped shape how MANTECH approaches data and AI, and it’s why we’re excited to announce Brandy Durham as our new Chief Data and AI Officer. Brandy has led the growth of our Data and AI Practice through a year of major expansion, including welcoming new teammates from Elder Research. Moving forward, the team will continue to focus on delivering decision advantage across national security, defense, and commercial missions. “Our growth reflects the strength of our people and the trust our clients place in us,” said Durham. “Our Data and AI Practice is doing more than experimenting; we’re putting it to work.” Read more about MANTECH’s recent work operationalizing data and AI for federal and commercial clients, as well as what’s ahead: https://lnkd.in/eXrteEUY And join us in congratulating Brandy on this well-deserved next chapter! #Data #AI #MANTECH #AlwaysAdvancing #MANTECHDataandAI

As the year winds down, we wish you a joyful holiday season. What a year it’s been! We celebrated 30 amazing years and the start of an exciting new chapter on the MANTECH team. We just want to pause and say thank you. Thanks for cheering us on and for all the ways you inspire our work solving data challenges. Wishing you a fruitful 2026—both personally and professionally. May it bring plenty of opportunities to grow and help others grow. Here’s to a great year ahead! ↗️

What are some of the latest insights on making data and AI work in the real world? Last week, our Government Civilian Services and Homeland teams joined other data leaders at the Databricks Data + AI World Tour in Washington, D.C., to dig into that. Here are some key takeaways from the event: 💡 Vibe coding can get you a proof of concept and maybe even a pilot. But getting GenAI systems into production starts with clear, reliable metrics—even when evaluating subjective outputs. 💡 Evaluation frameworks must evolve as a GenAI system moves from proof of concept to production. LLM judges can help if calibrated appropriately with subject matter experts and agreed-upon guidelines to ensure we’re measuring what really matters. 💡 Feedback loops aren’t optional. GenAI performance should constantly be tied to mission outcomes, not just occasionally evaluated. 💡 AI isn’t “set it and forget it.” Successful solutions are built with a focus on continuous improvement. 💡 Multi-agentic systems are still new but promising. The field is in its early stages, and we’re likely to see a lot of new developments in 2026. Curious to hear what you’ve learned this year. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve seen or heard in the world of data and AI?

We’re starting a new chapter. We’re proud to announce that Elder Research is joining MANTECH through an acquisition that amplifies our efforts to help clients see it solved. MANTECH is at the forefront of AI and mission-critical technology solutions, and we’re excited to combine our three decades of experience with theirs to continue helping clients solve their toughest data challenges. Hear what our founder John Elder and CEO Gerhard Pilcher have to say about this exciting new chapter: https://lnkd.in/eGA2iWbz

Tired of vague AI advice or checklists that go nowhere? Start the new year with real stories and practical strategies that actually work. 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/ef7rnDk4 Our team is diving into key questions to ask before initiatives launch—and sharing helpful tips you can take back to your team. 💡 It’s all about helping you avoid the frustrations teams often face when pursuing ROI from data, analytics, and AI. You’ll hear fresh perspectives from across our team: Stephen Assink, Technical Business Analyst Shaylee Davis, Data Scientist Josh Fairchild, Senior Technical Business Analyst Leah Severance, Commercial Business Development Director Ramzi Ziade, Learning Engagement Manager If you’re looking for ways to drive real ROI with data, analytics, and AI, this webinar is for you. 🧑💻 We’ve spent three decades helping teams achieve measurable results. And we’re glad to share what we’ve learned along the way. Grateful to partner with Data Science Connect on this free event. Register today and spread the word to your network.

We had a great time last month at AFCEA CeVA’s Data Centric Summit. The event was all about empowering government organizations with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to manage, protect, and leverage their data assets. Our founder, John Elder, shared a session on “The Twin Crises of Science and How to Defeat Them.” He tackled two persistent challenges facing modern science: research findings that fail to replicate and analytics projects that stall.   Dustin Hux, our VP of Defense and Intelligence, gave a talk on addressing insider threats within organizations. And Vic Diloreto, our CTO, facilitated a panel on enabling a data-centric culture. Plus, it was great to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones at our event booth. A big thank you to the AFCEA CeVA team for hosting the event!  

Every team’s experienced it—time wasted on activities that don’t bring ROI. One consumer goods company was determined to change that. They wanted to make sure all their AI and analytics project proposals were focused on ideas with the strongest ROI. That started with getting their teams aligned, and we were ready to help. A big part of the work involved building classes that helped teams apply data science techniques directly to business challenges. Teams used what they learned to build project proposals that could reduce costs, save time, or generate new revenue. They were able to move from scattered efforts to a collaborative process built on transparency, shared language, and a better structure for evaluating proposals. Explore how we helped them see it solved: https://lnkd.in/ePyUYywu