Vernor Vinge is best known for his science-fiction stories, which include True Names, A Fire Upon the Deep, and A Deepness in the Sky. The last two items each won the Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year. His just-released novel, Rainbows End, examines the near-future implications of wearable computing and smart environments on issues of entertainment, privacy, and terror.

Vernor holds a Ph.D. in Math from the University of California, San Diego. From 1972 to 2000 he taught in the Department of Math and Computer Sciences at San Diego State University.