Anderson received a B.A. in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University in 1994. He joined the Brown University faculty in 1994 and was promoted to full professor in 2004.
Anderson's research has had a significant impact on the field of database management systems. He has published over 100 papers in top academic journals and conferences, and he has received numerous awards for his work, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 1996, the Brown University Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1997, and the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 1998.
In 2006, Anderson co-founded DataScience.com, a company that provides data management and analytics software and services to businesses. DataScience.com has grown rapidly since its founding and now has over 100 employees.
Anderson is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is also a member of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and the National Academy of Engineering.