He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He attended California Institute of Technology as an undergraduate and the University of California Berkeley for his Ph.D.
In his college years he became fascinated with fantasy-dom. Outside of being a fantasy author, he has correlated work with the New Zealand Geology Society, started an Artificial Intelligence Company named Alodar Inc., and helped develop the Isis intelligence tool for medical research. He has two daughters and is married.