Catherine Asaro has an M.A. in physics and a Ph.D. in chemical physics from Harvard. She has appeared as a speaker at many places, including Harvard and the National Academy of Sciences, and as a Guest of Honor at science fiction cons in the U.S. and abroad. She is a member of SIGMA, a think tank that advises the government as to future trends. A former ballet and jazz dancer, and now a vocalist, Asaro has performed at clubs and conventions. She is the creator of the popular Skolian Empire Saga, a science fiction series that includes Undercity, The Bronze Skies, The Vanished Seas, and The Jigsaw Assassin from Baen. Asaro is a resident of Long Island, New York.