Geoffrey A. Landis

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Geoffrey A. Landis works as a scientist and writer of science fiction.

Landis holds undergraduate degrees in physics and electrical engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in solid-state physics from Brown University. He works for the NASA John Glenn Research Center, where he does research on Mars missions, solar energy^[1], and advanced concepts for interstellar propulsion. He holds seven patents ^[2], and has published more than 300 scientific papers^[3] in the fields of astronautics and photovoltaics. He was a member of the Rover team on the Mars Pathfinder mission, and is a member of the science team on the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) mission. In 2005-2006, he was the Ronald E. McNair Visiting Professor of Astronautics at MIT.

In the field of science fiction, Landis has published over 70 works of short fiction, and two books. His work mixes high science and technology with human emotion. He won the 1989 Nebula Award for best short story for "Ripples in the Dirac Sea" (Asimov's Science Fiction, October 1988), and the 1992 Hugo Award for "A Walk in the Sun" (Asimov's Science Fiction, October 1991) and the 2003 Hugo for his short story "Falling Onto Mars" (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July/Aug 2002). His first novel, Mars Crossing, was published by Tor Books in 2000, and a short story collection, Impact Parameter (and other quantum fictions) was published by Golden Gryphon Press in 2001.

He attended the Clarion Workshop in 1985, with such other emerging SF writers as Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Martha Soukup, William Shunn, Resa Nelson, Mary Turzillo and Robert J. Howe, and taught at the Clarion Workshop in 2001.