David Brin, Ph.D. is author of the new science-fiction novel Existence which mentions our many programs. He is a scientist, public speaker, and author. His papers in scientific journals cover an eclectic range of topics from astronautics, astronomy, and optics to alternative dispute resolution and the role of neoteny in human evolution. His Ph.D in Space Physics from the University of California at San Diego followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

His new and astonishingly broad “Interactive communication between a plurality of users” patent brings online many basic tricks that people have used in real-life conversation for ages. e.g. adjusting semantic content and presentation according to distance, orientation, reputation, time, and traits of the content itself.

He is on the Board of Advisors of the Planetary Society. He has been the keynote speaker at more than 50 major conferences, gatherings, and meetings, not including numerous SF conventions. Among his scientific and academic papers, he published Optics and Theory of Polarized Light in Applied Optics, Nature and Activity of Comets inAstrophysical Journal, Astronomical and Philosophical Questions Posed by SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) in Quarterly Journal of Royal Astronomical Society and Neoteny and Two-Way Sexual Selection in Human Evolution: Paleo Anthropological Speculation in Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems.