- Phone:
- 317-278-7644
- Email:
- leonjohn@iu.edu
IO 231
IO 231
Education
- M.S. Mathematics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
- Graduate Certificate, Operations Research Analysis, Army University, Fort Lee, VA
- B.S. Mathematics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Biography
Leon Johnson is an educator in the field of data science. With a career spanning the U.S. Air Force, research labs, tech startups, and academia, Leon brings a rich blend of practical experience and reflective inquiry to data science education. After separating from the Air Force as an operations research analyst and ROTC Trainer, Johnson started working as a data scientist in a research lab and then in fast-paced startup environments. Later, he turned to graduate-level teaching with a passion for cultivating curiosity, thoughtful analysis, and intrinsic motivation in students.
In the classroom, Johnson emphasizes not only technical mastery and exposure to the latest industry-standard tools, but also the ethical and epistemological foundations of data science—helping future practitioners understand not just how to build models and how they work, but why they matter and what responsibilities come with them. In addition to traditional teaching methods (e.g., lectures, quizzes, etc.), Johnson incorporates student-centered, peer-reviewed learning strategies such as flipped classrooms, peer instruction, specifications grading, metacognitive self-reflection, and un-grading.
Students in Johnson's classes typically find his teaching to be challenging but rewarding since the focus is primarily on deep understanding rather than surface-level utility.
Research Interests
- Epistemology in Machine Learning
- Philosophy of Mind in AI
- Data and Machine Ethics
- Data Visualization
- Text Mining
- Student-Centered Andragogy
- Math and Statistics Education
Courses
- INFO-I 494 Design and Development of an Information System Project (Capstone)
- DSCI-D 501 Introduction to Data Science Programming (was INFO-H 501)
- DSCI-D 510 Statistics for Data Science (was INFO-H 510)
- DSCI-D 517 Visualization Design, Analysis, and Evaluation (was INFO-H 517)
- DSCI-D 611 Mathematical and Logical Foundations of Informatics (was INFO-H 611)