Tom Weaver holds a B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology, and a PhD in Physics from UC Berkeley.

He is well known for his pioneering research in understanding the evolution of massive stars and supernova, as well as the production of the chemical elements in such stars and the design of and demonstration of x-ray lasers. He has received many honors for his work, including the Department of Energy’s E.O. Lawrence Award.

He worked for 28 years in the Physics Department at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where in addition to his research, he served as the Leader of the X-ray Laser Program and the General Studies Division Leader. His current research interests have expanded to include theoretical biology and an exploration of the evolution and nature of complex systems, mind/brain operation and the associated phenomena of consciousness.

For almost his entire professional life, he has been associated with the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, first as a Hertz Graduate Fellow, and later as a Member of the Board of Directors, Senior Fellowship Interviewer, and Chairman of the Fellowship Selection Committee. He has directed the selection of Hertz Fellows whose research spans the range from the physical and biological sciences to engineering and mathematics, as well as mentoring in-school Fellows.

He has also consulted for Intellectual Ventures on the development of a broad range of new ideas and inventions in physics, engineering and biology, including the TerraPower initiative for the development of advanced nuclear reactors.

SELECT PHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS ARTICLES:

The Structure of Supernova Shock Waves, Thomas A. Weaver, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 32, 233 (1976).

The Presupernova Evolution of Massive Stars, Thomas A. Weaver, George B. Zimmerman, S. E. Woosley, The Astrophysical Journal, 225, 1021 (1978).

Evolution and Explosion of Massive Stars, Thomas A. Weaver and S. E. Woosley, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 336, 335 (1980).

The Great Supernova of 1987, Stan Woosley and Tom Weaver, Scientific American, August 1989, p. 32.

Nucleosynthesis in massive stars and the C12(alpha,gamma)O16 reaction rate, Thomas A. Weaver and S. E. Woosley, Physics Reports, 227, 65 (1993).

Galactic Chemical Evolution: Hydrogen through Zinc, F. X. Timmes, S. E. Woosley, Thomas A. Weaver, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 98, 617 (1995).

The Evolution and Explosion of Massive Stars, S. E. Woosley, A. Heger, T. A. Weaver, Reviews of Modern Physics (Vol. 74, No. 4, October 2002), p. 1015.

BOOK FOREWORDS, INTRODUCTIONS & PREFACES:

Foreword to: From the Mating Dance to the Cosmic Dance: Sex, Love, and Marriage from a Yogic Perspective, by Swami Sivananda Radha (Timeless Books 1992), p. xi.

Introduction to: Glimpses of a Mystical Affair: Spiritual Experiences of Swami Sivananda Radha, by Julie McKay (Timeless Books 1996), p. xiii (see sample).

Preface to: Light and Vibration: Consciousness, Mysticism and the Culmination of Yoga, by Swami Sivananda Radha (Timeless Books 2007), p. 15 (see sample).

SELECT ASCENT MAGAZINE ARTICLES by Prakasha (Tom Weaver):
(past issues and pdf’s available here)

That Which Shines (number 1, fall 1999), p. 12.

Pure Consciousness (number 6, summer 2000), p. 16.

How does the universe evolve? (number 7, fall 2000), p. 30.

Is there any scientific basis to beauty? (number 8, winter 2000), p. 42.

What motivates a scientist? (number 10, summer 2001), p. 50.

What does "all is one" really mean? (number 11, fall 2001), p. 56

The Network: Ideas on space, time, yoga & the universe (number 12, winter 2001), p. 28.

What is consciousness? (number 15, fall 2002), p. 52.

How is order created? (number 18, summer 2003), p. 50.

How does the mind change? (number 20, winter 2003), p. 50.

What is the way of wonder? (number 27, fall 2005), p. 57.

The Original Light (number 41, spring 2009), p. 60.