A data scientist with more than two decades of experience working with complex data sets, Larry Finer laid the foundation for his career by earning a bachelor's degree in psychology from Harvard University in 1991. In 1994 Larry Finer enrolled at Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a PhD in population dynamics. In 1998 he began working at the Guttmacher Institute, where he would ultimately achieve the title of vice president for domestic research.

Over his career, Larry Finer has regularly published research in a variety of professional publications, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Public Health. He also served as a senior lecturer at Columbia University from 2005 to 2018.

More recently, Larry Finer created a fresh approach to preparing technology-related learning materials for the Cyber Pathways Across Maryland online repository as senior editor of Practical Management Envisioneering. In 2019, he went on to earn a certificate in data science from Metis in New York City.