Feder obtained his B.A. in anthropology in 1973 from the State University of New York at Stonybrook. He obtained his M.A. in anthropology in 1975 from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. from the same institution in 1982.

He has taught in the Department of Anthropology at Central Connecticut State University since 1977 where he is now a full professor. His primary research interests include the archaeology of the native peoples of New England and the analysis of public perceptions about the human past. He is the founder and director of the Farmington River Archaeological Project, a long-term investigation of the prehistory of the Farmington River Valley. He is the author and co-author of several books including:Human Antiquity: An Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology(with Michael Park; now in its fifth edition; McGraw-Hill);Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology(about to appear in its seventh edition; McGraw-Hill);The Past In Perspective: An Introduction to Human Prehistory(about to appear in its fifth edition; Oxford University Press); andLinking to the Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology(now in its second edition; Oxford University Press). Finally, he is the author ofA Village of Outcasts: Historical Archaeology and Documentary Research at the Lighthouse Site(Mayfield Publishing). When he's not digging in the dirt or writing books, he likes to hang out with his one wife, two kids, and four very bad cats.