Doug Beason

Dr. Doug Beason, a PhD Physicist and Fellow of the American Physical Society, has written 16 novels, 2 nonfiction books, and over 100 scientific papers and short stories. His novels include THE OFFICER, SPACE STATION DOWN (with Ben Bova) and ILL WIND (with Kevin J. Anderson). A Nebula Award finalist for best SF Novel of the Year, he has written for publications as diverse as The Wall Street Journal, Analog, Physical Review Letters, Amazing Stories, Physics of Fluids, There Will Be War and Journal of Computational Physics. A retired USAF Colonel, Doug served on the White House staff for both Presidents Bush and Clinton, and was Commander of the Phillips Research Site/Deputy, Directed Energy, USAF Research Laboratory. He was previously the associate Laboratory Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and was recently Chief Scientist of Space Command.

Doug served on the United Kingdom's Threat Reduction Advisory Board for the Atomic Weapons Establishment; was a member of the USAF Science Advisory Board; was the Principal US Representative for the US/UK/Canadian Satellite Program; and was VP of the Directed Energy Professional Society.

Doug is a 1977 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy (dual B.S. Physics and Mathematics), and was a senior service school Distinguished Graduate of National Defense University.  His book Science and Technology Policy for the post-Cold War: A Case for Long-Term Research was awarded the NDU President's "Strategic Vision" award and was used as a textbook at both the National War College and Air War College.