Gregory Benford is a professor of physics at the University of California, Irvine, where he has been a faculty member since 1971. Benford conducts research in plasma turbulence theory and experiment, and in astrophysics. He has published well over a hundred papers in fields of physics from condensed matter, particle physics, plasmas and mathematical physics, and several in biological conservation.

He is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University, and has served as an advisor to the Department of Energy, NASA and the White House Council on Space Policy. In 1995 he received the Lord Foundation Award for contributions to science and the public comprehension of it.

Benford is the author of over twenty novels, including Jupiter Project, Artifact, Against Infinity, Eater, and Timescape. A two-time winner of the Nebula Award, Benford has also won the John W. Campbell Award, the Australian Ditmar Award, the 1995 Lord Foundation Award for achievement in the sciences, and the 1990 United Nations Medal in Literature.

Dr. Perry was hired by Alcor in 1989 following two years of volunteer work at the Foundation. Dr. Perry monitors Alcor’s dewars, provides facility surveillance during off-work hours, and performs writing tasks and computer programming. He has authored or contributed to the automated cooldown and perfusion modeling programs and has maintained the patient log books for many years. He is a regular contributor to Alcor newsletters. He has been a member of Alcor since 1984.

Prior to working at Alcor, Dr. Perry worked as a computer programmer—from 1968 until 1987. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1969 with a B.S. in Mathematics. He received an M.S. in Computer Science from Colorado University in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the same institution in 1984.

Dr. Perry is a cofounder and past president of the Society for Universal immortalism, a group dedicated to the hope that all persons who ever lived will eventually be resurrected through scientific means.

Dr. Perry has authored two books: Toward Self-Optimization of Machine Intelligence (Ph.D. Thesis), Los Osos, CA: Dove Systems, 1984; and Forever for All: Moral Philosophy, Cryonics, and the Scientific Prospects for Immortality, Parkland, FL: Universal Publishers, 2000. Prior to his Alcor experience Dr. Perry authored or coauthored several journal papers and technical reports on computerized tomography, for applications ranging from medicine to solar physics.

Hugh commenced employment at Alcor in 1982 as the Facilities Engineer. He is in charge of technology application and development, systems maintenance, and institutional memory research applications. Hugh has participated in a record number of cryopreservations.

Hugh is the inventor of the “crackphone”, a device which determines cracking temperature and degree of cracking, first with glycerol perfusion, and now with new cryoprotectant and vitrification systems. He is the initial fabricator of the Bigfoot Patient Pod System and modified the MVE Bigfoot dewar design for simpler manufacture. Hugh designed and was instrumental in constructing the Patient Care LN2 Bulk Fill System, in addition to conceiving, designing, and constructing the LN2 Vacuum Transfer System and the LN2 Vapor Cloud Extractor. He is the designer and builder of the Mobile Advanced Rescue Cart (MARC), and was involved in the construction of its predecessor, the Cryovita Labs Mobile Advanced Life Support System (MALSS).

Hugh served as a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1972 as an Aerospace Munitions Officer. He was stationed at Nellis AFB, Taegu AFB in Korea, and Canon AFB. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Redlands and an M.S. in Biochemistry from California State University at Long Beach. Hugh is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Space Access, and Alcor.

Steve Graber became Alcor’s Technical & Readiness Coordinator in July 2010, and was later promoted to Director of Innovation in 2019. In this role, he works with Alcor’s Transport Coordinator to perform standbys, postmortem stabilization, and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor’s cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. Steve is also responsible for purchasing, inventorying, and maintaining supplies and equipment necessary for cryonics procedures at remote locations and at Alcor’s Scottsdale facility. Additionally, he participates in training and outfitting regional groups around the world that assist with stabilization and transport of Alcor patients. Utilizing his design and fabrication skills, Steve will also work with Alcor’s Research Fellow, Equipment Fabricator, and R&D Committee to design, construct, test, and validate new procedures and equipment.

Steve graduated with a degree in Architecture and Fine art from Goshen College. His background and expertise are widely varied, with practical and managerial experience in many areas. His IT skills range from computer software and hardware design, desktop application programming, 3D animation, video editing and desktop publishing, and CAD design. He is also proficient in automotive design, engineering, manufacturing, and fabrication, having constructed of his own two-seat, mid-engine sports car.

Before joining the Alcor staff, Steve worked as an outside contractor for Alcor for nearly a year. During that time he assisted in nearly all incoming patient cases, including participating in local standby work. He also redesigned and constructed the Alcor emergency response vehicle and produced ISO 9001 compliant SOP documentation for numerous Alcor procedures and equipment.

Jacob Graber has worked for Alcor both as a volunteer and as a part-time employee since 2012. Jacob was officially brought onto the Alcor team as the Manager of Engineering in January 2020. His duties revolve around the research, development, and improvement of cryopreservation equipment and techniques. Jacob works to ensure that Alcor adopts and adheres to modern and secure practices in everyday work as well as in the long-term safety and handling considerations for preserved patients.

Jacob graduated from ASU’s School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy (SEMTE) in 2019 with his Master’s in Material Science and Engineering. As a graduate student, he worked for two years in ASU’s 4D Materials Science Center (4DMS) investigating the behavior of metals under various stimuli using a broad range of characterization techniques. He brings his research experience with x-ray computed tomography (CT) reconstruction and analysis, and is the primary operator of Alcor’s on-site CT scanner.

Shelby Calkins has served as the Medical Response Director at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation since September 2022, overseeing critical medical response and cryopreservation procedures.

Her clinical foundation is rooted in a decade of practice in dual Cardiovascular Intensive Care (CVICU) and Neurovascular Trauma Intensive Care (ICU) units, where she specialized in managing complex, high-acuity patients. Shelby gained advanced expertise with technologies such as Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) and Impella cardiac support – forms of perfusion that directly inform her skills in cryonics perfusion procedures. These experiences have given her a deep understanding of hemodynamic stability, fluid management, and organ support under the most critical conditions.

Shelby is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Stroke Assessment, and she continues to build on her clinical knowledge through advanced training and research. At Alcor, she applies her intensive care background and perfusion experience to guide cryopreservation with precision, adaptability, and calm effectiveness in high-pressure scenarios.

Shelby holds a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Leadership and Administration, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

Her other professional development includes active involvement in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (Greater Phoenix Chapter), the Arizona Nurses Association, and other professional organizations.

Outside her professional role, Shelby enjoys literature, rodeo, hunting, and fishing.

As Director of Membership, Diane’s primary responsibility is assisting applicants in becoming Alcor members. In addition to explaining Alcor’s services to prospective clients, she also serves as the liaison between existing Alcor members and the organization by keeping the membership files updated and monitoring membership status issues such as funding.

Before coming to Alcor, Diane owned her own sewing business, “The Sewing Room”. She belonged to the North Valley Business Network, a group of small businesses in her local area. She networked to gain business leads and exchange business experience with other local business owners.

From 1989 to 1998 Diane worked for Community Care Network (CCN), a medical insurance company. Diane started out in the Provider Contracting department, working with physicians, hospitals and other medical facilities. She eventually moved up to Office Manager. She worked with six department heads and made sure everyone had what they needed to complete their jobs, from office supplies to computer equipment.

Linda Chamberlain is one of the co-founders of Alcor (Alcor Life Extension Foundation) and served as its first CEO. She and her husband, Fred Chamberlain III, started Alcor in 1972. Fred, together with his father and Linda’s mother, are all currently cryopreserved at Alcor.

After Fred was cryopreserved in 2012, Linda decided to come out of retirement and returned to Alcor full time in 2016. She is currently engaged in two projects. One is the writing of the medical case report for each patient and the other is helping Alcor members set up funding trusts and revival trusts. It is Linda’s desire to be close to her family and do whatever she can to protect them and help bring them back into her life as soon as possible.

Linda has two published works on the subject of cryonics. The first, LifeQuest, compiled in the 1970s, contains short stories written by Linda, Fred and others about cryonics, mind cloning and other transhuman adventures. In the 1990s, Linda wrote a cryonics novel called Star Pebble, available on amazon.com.

Ashley Bettini joined Alcor in January 2019 as an Administrative Assistant. Her duties include assisting the Executive Administrator in filing paperwork, handling mail and emails, welcoming visitors to Alcor, and other administration work. Ashley graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Organizational Leadership and Management in May 2018. She is originally from California and much of her experience is working in the nonprofit sector in various fields. She has volunteered in the medical field, animal sanctuaries, children’s museum, and organized and ran a one day conference with fellow students while attending ASU.

James Arrowood is the Chief Executive Officer of Alcor Life Extension Foundation, bringing over a decade of deep organizational knowledge to the role. A Notre Dame-trained attorney with undergraduate roots at UC Irvine, James has a distinguished background in law, emerging technologies, and public communications. He has served as a recognized expert on emerging technologies across major print and television outlets, and has contributed to the field as an educator and author on medical-legal issues. Prior to becoming CEO, James served as Alcor’s General Counsel, giving him an unusually comprehensive understanding of the organization and the legal landscape surrounding its work.