Philip Plait has been a science fiction fan his whole life, and it certainly helped spur him on to become a professional astronomer. He worked for a decade with Hubble Space Telescope observing black holes, asteroids, dying stars, and searching for planets around other stars. He decided that he loved talking about astronomy so much that it quickly took over his life. He started the Bad Astronomy website (www.badastronomy.com) to correct misconceptions about science, and that turned into a book, an award-winning blog (now hosted by Discover Magazine), interviews on many TV and radio shows and podcasts, and a second book (Death from the Skies!), about all the ways the Universe can wipe us out.

He is also a skeptic, someone who demands evidence for claims. That started with Bad Astronomy, but he became an outspoken advocate for all things real, and against all things not so real. In 2008 he was asked by James Randi himself to be the President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about skepticism and rational/critical thinking, and the promotion of science.

Dr. Plait is in high demand internationally as a lecturer on science and skepticism, but he loves going to conventions and being with his people: nerds of all stripes, of which he is a proud member.