Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed masters and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. Discovery by Design and No Ordinary Mike complement his earlier work on the history of UBC and contributes to a better understanding of how the university has helped to shape – and has been shaped by – life in the pacific province.

Caroline Astell, now Professor Emerita of Biochemistry, knew Michael Smith for 35 years, first working with him for her PhD and then as a research colleague. In 2002, she joined the BC Cancer Agency's Genome Science Centre and was on the team that decoded the SARS genome.