Erin Macdonald (PhD, Astrophysics) is an award-winning writer, science communicator, producer, and science advisor. She is most well-known for her work on the Star Trek franchise where she has been their official science advisor since 2019 and was a member of the Peabody Institutional Award for Star Trek in 2023. Continuing to work the Star Trek realm, she has played her own character across multiple iterations, including Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek Online and contributes as a writer to the Star Trek Adventures tabletop roleplaying game.

Originally from Colorado, Erin studied physics and mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder where her research into cold hydrogen in the local universe was recognized by the American Astronomical Society. She then moved to Scotland for her PhD at University of Glasgow where she did research in gravitational waves from neutron stars with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. After leaving academia, Erin jumped careers from public science outreach, to education, to aerospace engineering, and finally to the entertainment industry. Instead of wanting to become Dana Scully, Erin realized she wanted to create those characters that will inspire future generations of scientists.

Erin runs the company Spacetime Productions which champions LGBTQIA+ stories in the sci-fi genre and has successfully produced three short films and featurettes since 2021.

She continues to work with the Star Trek franchise, most recently on Starfleet Academy, and is putting her energy towards her screenwriting career. Her latest feature script, TO SKYE, has been recognized at film festivals around the world. She now splits her time between Los Angeles, Glasgow, and a nice quiet garden in Michigan. When not writing or gardening, she can be found playing video games, brewing mead, or crafting her latest art project.