Joel L. Schiff

Joel L. Schiff was born in Chicago and has a PhD in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He spent his career at the University of Auckland and has written ten books on various mathematical and scientific subjects. He has also been a successful part-time asteroid hunter and was the founder/publisher of an international journal on Meteorites for which he won a Meteoritical Society award.

Having a life long interest in art, in 2014 he had a book published about the New Zealand/Australian/British artist, Grace Joel. Research revealed that Ms Joel (no relation) studied at the well-known Académie Julian in Paris and it was then that the author discovered another Julian student, Marie Bashkirtseff, one of the most fascinating individuals of the 19th century. His obsession with her led to the publication of the book: Portrait of Young Genius – The Life and Art of Marie Bashkirtseff, Vernon Press, 2017.

Other interests, such as orchid growing for more than 40 years has resulted in the book: Rare and Exotic Orchids (Springer – 2018). His pursuits in astronomy has inspired him to write a book on The Most Interesting Galaxies in the Universe published by IOP Science as well as Basic Mathematical Insights into Astrophysics, a Springer Undergraduate text (2025).