John Chambers (statistician)

John McKinley Chambers (born 1941) is a statistician best known for his significant contributions to statistical computing, particularly his role in the creation and development of the S programming language, which later evolved into the widely used R programming language.

Chambers earned a Ph.D. in Statistics from Harvard University in 1966. He spent the majority of his career at Bell Laboratories (later Lucent Technologies and Alcatel-Lucent). While at Bell Labs, he spearheaded the development of S, starting in the 1970s. S was designed to provide a more interactive and flexible environment for data analysis and visualization than existing statistical packages. Its key features included a focus on data as objects, a powerful programming language for manipulating data, and excellent graphics capabilities.

Chambers's work on S emphasized the importance of providing statisticians with tools that are both powerful and easy to use. He championed the idea of "programming with data," enabling users to interact directly with their data and develop custom solutions to statistical problems.

In the 1990s, Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman, influenced by S, created the R programming language, which is now a dominant force in statistical computing and data science. R is largely compatible with S and incorporates many of its core principles.

Chambers has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to statistics and computing. He was awarded the ACM Software System Award in 1998 for S, and he is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. His work has had a profound impact on the field of statistics, and his ideas continue to influence the development of new statistical software. His 2008 book, "Software for Data Analysis: Programming with R," articulates his vision for the future of statistical computing.