Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an American science fiction author and editor born in Topeka, Kansas in 1969. He has established himself in the science fiction field through extensive editorial work, having edited twenty-two anthologies throughout his career. As a writer, Schmidt has created multiple works across different science fiction subgenres. He wrote a space opera trilogy and developed an ongoing near-future police procedural series set in Kansas City, Missouri. He also wrote a near-future thriller novel that has been in development as a motion picture. Beyond fiction, he authored a non-fiction book on the craft of novel writing. Schmidt's editorial work has received recognition within the science fiction community. He was a finalist with Jennifer Brozek for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor for the anthology Shattered Shields. His anthology Infinite Stars received a nomination for the 2018 Locus Award for Best Anthology.