I am an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Iowa State University. I received my Ph.D. in Astronomy in 1993 from the University of Washington. I have done post-doctoral work at the University of Texas, Austin and at the University of Washington, and I have received fellowships, grants and awards from such institutions as NASA, the University of Washington, the Templeton Foundation, Sigma Xi (scientific research society) and the National Science Foundation.I have extensive experience in observing and analyzing data from ground-based observatories, including McDonald Observatory, Apache Point Observatory and Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. I am considered an expert on the astrophysical requirements for habitability and on habitable zones, and I am co-founder of the 'Galactic Habitable Zone' concept, which captured the October 2001 cover story of Scientific American. Astronomers and astrobiologists around the world are pursuing research based on my work on exoplanet host stars, the Galactic Habitable Zone and red giants.I have also published nearly 70 articles in refereed astronomy and astrophysical journals including The Astrophysical Journal, The Astronomical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Icarus and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. I am the co-author of the second edition of Observational Astronomy, an advanced college astronomy textbook.In 2004 I co-authored The Privileged Planet: How Our Place In The Cosmos Is Designed For Discovery with Jay W. Richards.