Jim Beall

Ever wonder what happens when a nuclear engineer falls in love with science fiction and just… never stops? Meet Jim Beall. With a BS in Math, an MBA, and a PE license to his name, Jim has spent over 50 years working with nuclear reactors — and even longer devouring sci-fi. He kicked things off as an engineering officer aboard USS Long Beach (CGN-9), then went on to build, inspect, and assess nuclear facilities with a utility company, an architect engineering firm, and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

At the NRC, Jim wasn’t just watching reactors — he was advising Commissioners, earning the agency’s Meritorious and Distinguished Service awards, and digging into every energy source you can imagine (and a few you probably can’t). Coal, oil, hydro, geothermal, tidal, solar, wind, fracking, space-based power, heavy water reactors, breeder reactors, fusion, even antimatter — if it makes energy, Jim’s probably studied it.

He’s put all that brainpower into nonfiction writing too, with work published by JBIS, Elsevier, Baen Books, and the Interstellar Research Group.

Basically: if your favorite sci-fi book got the physics right, there’s a decent chance someone like Jim made sure of it. Come meet the real deal in Virginia Beach this April!