J. C. N. Smith received his bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa and has studied at Iowa State University, the University of Arizona, and George Washington University. Smith is now retired from a career with the CIA's Office of Scientific and Weapons Research. He traces his interest in the nature of time to the many nights he spent as a child curled up in a sleeping bag, in his front yard, gazing out in awe at the wonders of the universe.