About Me
Welcome! I am a writer and scientist. For over twenty years, I was Professor of Chemistry at Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). In addition to research and teaching, I also served in a variety of administrative positions, including associate dean and department chair. I received an MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2016 and am now a full-time writer.
During the years I was a faculty member, I taught courses on topics from freshman chemistry to advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in thermodynamics, kinetics and statistical mechanics. My research interests were and continue to be in complex systems, especially in biophysical settings.
In 2003 I moved to Washington to direct the country's research program in theoretical and computational chemistry at the National Science Foundation. I also edited the agency's newsletter, The Current, for a few years and broadened my experience in writing about science for the public. While at NSF, I continued to pursue my work in complex systems science through agency initiatives and became especially interested in the application of complexity and emergence ideas to social systems. After leaving NSF, I worked for a number of years as a freelance science writer.
I am currently devoting myself to full-time writing, primarily fiction, and also serve, in a volunteer capacity, as the Nonfiction Editor at Utopia Science Fiction Magazine. I have published several books, listed here, and a number of short stories, poems, and essays. Information about my books, and some of my essays and short stories can be found on my Amazon Author Page. You can also find me on Mastodon, BlueSky and Facebook.
I am a member of the Authors Guild, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Speculative Fiction Writers Association.
In addition to being a writer, I am also a mom, grandmother, wife, cat herder, gardener, runner and former yoga instructor. After retiring from our government jobs, my husband and I moved from the DC area to Denver, Colorado, where we are enjoying the good life.
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