Erik M. Conway

Erik Conway is a historian of science and technology based in Altadena, California. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1998, focusing his dissertation on the development of aircraft landing aids. Currently, he serves as the historian at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech.

Conway's research primarily explores the intersection of science and technology in the late 20th century, with a particular emphasis on aerospace. His most recent book, "The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe the Government and Love the Free Market", was co-authored with Naomi Oreskes. He also co-wrote A History of Near-Earth Objects Research with Donald K. Yeomans and Meg Rosenburg, published by NASA in July 2022. In addition, he is co-editing an upcoming volume, Electrical Conquest, with W. Bernard Carlson.

Before pursuing his graduate studies, Conway served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for four years. His roles included Damage Control Assistant and Acting Chief Engineer on a tank landing ship, followed by a position as an operations officer for COMPHIBRON ONE in San Diego, California.

Beyond his professional work, Conway enjoys downhill skiing—primarily at Mammoth Mountain in California, though he also has a fondness for Alta—along with scuba diving. While he previously engaged in whitewater kayaking, he has not run a river in many years. He is also an avid practitioner of high-power rocketry (NAR Level 2), launching with the Rocketry Organization of California. His personal altitude record stands at 22,098 feet AGL, achieved in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, during XPRS 2019.