Jeff Houlahan is an ecologist and conservation biologist with a 20-year active research program focused on animal and plant biology. His journey to this field has been unconventional. As a child of an Air Force member, he grew up in various military towns across Canada, including Calgary, North Bay, Kapuskasing, Ottawa, and two Canadian Air Force bases in Germany, Lahr and Baden-Sollingen.

Houlahan has had a diverse range of jobs, including waiter, security guard (a memorable stint as a 19-year-old in full uniform at a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show), bartender, pool liner manufacturer, mail deliverer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and guitarist in a punk band called The Rainkings, named after Henderson the Rain King.

He holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Ottawa. Between his two undergraduate degrees, he met and married his wife, Kim, with whom he has three children: Joe, Liam, and Chelsea.

Following his doctoral studies, Houlahan completed a short post-doctoral position at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. It was there that he first encountered a sign requesting patrons to "please leave your guns at the door," a sight that left a lasting impression. During his time in New Mexico, he worked with renowned ecologist James Brown, notable for being Barbara Kingsolver’s M.Sc. supervisor at the University of Arizona.

Houlahan subsequently accepted a professorship at the University of New Brunswick, where he continues to teach and conduct research. Alongside his academic career, he has been an active writer, producing short stories, songs, and, over the past decade, full-length novels. He has published several short stories in online journals and recently signed a three-book deal with Level Best Books. His crime novels Long Train Home (published in March 2022) and Boom Boom's Last Call (released on January 30, 2024) are part of this agreement, with a third novel forthcoming.