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Catherine AsaroAmerican writer.
Date of Birth: 06.11.1955
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Catherine Asaro: Renowned Physicist and Science Fiction Author
- Research and Academic Career
- Dance and the Arts
- Writing and Literary Works
- - "Primary Inversion" (1995): Nebula Award nominee
- Scientific Contributions
- Personal Life and Awards
Catherine Asaro: Renowned Physicist and Science Fiction Author
Early Life and EducationCatherine Asaro was born in Oakland, California, and raised in El Cerrito, near Berkeley. She pursued advanced degrees in physics, earning her Ph.D. in chemical physics and an M.A. in physics from Harvard University. She also completed her B.A. in chemistry with high honors from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Research and Academic Career
Asaro conducted research at the University of Toronto in Canada, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her research focused on applying quantum theory to describe the behavior of atoms and molecules. She taught physics until 1990, and subsequently founded and now directs her own company, Molecudyne Research.
Dance and the Arts
Asaro is also a former ballerina who performed in ballets and musicals, touring throughout the United States and Ohio. During the 1980s, she served as both a soloist and artistic director for Mainly Jazz Dancers and the Harvard University Ballet. After graduating, she continued teaching ballet at the Caryl Maxwell Classical Ballet.
Writing and Literary Works
Critics describe Asaro's writing as a successful blend of hard science fiction, romanticism, and thrilling space adventures. Her body of work includes nine published novels, seven of which are part of her "Saga of the Skolian Empire." These novels have earned recognition and awards, including:
- "Primary Inversion" (1995): Nebula Award nominee
- "Catch the Lightning" (1996): Sapphire Award winner- "The Quantum Rose" (2000): Nebula Award winner
- "The Veiled Web" (1999): HOMer Award winner
- "Aurora in Four Voices" (1998): HOMer Award, Sapphire Award, and Analog Analytical Laboratory winner
- "A Roll of the Dice" (1999): Analog Analytical Laboratory and HOMer Award winner
Scientific Contributions
Asaro's scientific work has been published in esteemed academic journals, including the American Journal of Physics. Her article, "Complex Speeds and Special Relativity," inspired the scientific basis for her novels.
Personal Life and Awards
Asaro currently resides in Columbia, Maryland, with her husband, a NASA astrophysicist, and their daughter, who shares her mother's passion for ballet and mathematics. She is a former Vice President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA).
