DR. CORNELIUS RHINE

founder, chief spectrologist

Dr. Rhine is a well-known physicist and innovator. His ground-breaking discovery of the thymosphere has disrupted research, business, and previously held views on existence. Dr. Rhine has been interested in the effects of extrasensory events for decades. His landmark experiments ten years ago connected with the thymosphere, and made first contact with the creatures he termed espers. Though his initial papers met strong opposition from the scientific community, Dr. Rhine’s intuition paid off. Dr. Rhine and the other scientists at EsperCorp have verified the experiments and proven the existence of espers. Though the scientific community has yet to acknowledge its blunder and recognize Dr. Rhine’s seminal work, EsperCorp has taken the lead in researching the depths of the thymosphere.

Cornelius Rhine was born, the fourth of five children, to a modest home in Eugene, Oregon. He and his wife Bella (now deceased) had one daughter, Cassandra, who lives and works with him at EsperCorp headquarters.

DR. JAMES ALISTER

Deputy Spectrologist

Dr. James Alister achieved his Ph.D in Condensed Matter Physics while studying under Dr. Cornelius Rhine. His dissertation on the applications and monetary benefits of government-requisitioned nuclear energy plants drew a great deal of attention thanks to its controversial take on the place of advanced physics in tomorrow’s society. His portrait of the next generation’s citizenry was both hailed and disparaged for its overwhelming advocation of efficiency over individuality.

At EsperCorp, Dr. Alister serves as one of two deputy spectrologists. He is co-developer of the ANCHOR device and second in command at the lab. Most of his time is split between experimenting in the lab, tinkering in the server room, and trying to keep up with Dr. Scott McDouglas’s tech updates. He has already developed numerous techniques for determining esper capabilities and power. Currently he is attempting to catalogue the full capacity of each esper’s power. He believes that with enough espers and enough focus, these spirit creatures could be capable of significantly affecting the physical world.

DR. MARK NIELSON

Deputy Spectrologist

Dr. Mark Nielson joined the research project that would become EsperCorp in the 3rd year of his Ph.D program, drawn in by Rhine’s enthusiasm and frenetic genius. He earned his doctorate in cell and molecular biology while continuing his research of the thymosphere, and afterward founded EsperCorp with Dr. Rhine and Dr. Alister.

As the second deputy spectrologist at EsperCorp, Dr. Nielson works tirelessly to expand our knowledge of the thymosphere. He prefers to study espers in their natural habitat, arguing that even easily created and dissipated creatures (like spirits) will operate in fundamentally different ways in the wild.

Dr. Nielson is also EsperCorp’s official spokesperson to the media, hoping to improve people’s understanding of espers and help EsperCorp become an accepted part of the scientific community. In the meantime, he is happy to administer his wisdom on a case by case basis - that is, when he’s not too busy.

ROBERT HOROWITZ

Chief Financial Officer

Robert Horowitz joined the team shortly after Rhine was asked to leave his lucrative consulting job. Convinced that espers existed, Horowitz quickly saw their financial potential. As an economist living the eight to five life, office covered in paperwork, apartment forgotten in his effort to keep up, Horowitz was happy to pounce on this new opportunity. He understands that it is simply a matter of time before Espercorp is a booming success. Esper viewers, esper merchandise, esper pets: Robert Horowitz has made it his personal mission to bring espers to the people of the world.

DR. SCOTT MCDOUGLAS

Chief Engineer

Dr. Scott McDouglas isn’t actually a doctor of anything, but all the scientists are so impressed by his mastery of technology that they call him the Doc. When Rhine heard about the engineer who’d been booted from tech company after tech company because of his seemingly daft schematics and programs, he knew he found his man. Within a day of being introduced to the world of espers, Scott had already devised a way to transfer information wirelessly through a series of resonance-networked crystals, and the ANCHOR device was born.

Doc spends most of his time in the server room with ANCHOR, admitting that he gets nervous when he's been away from it for too long. In order to combat the loneliness of a confined space, he's taken to keeping a Mozzy as a pet and can often be found talking to it.

DR. ANGELICA LIU

Head of Field Operations

Dr. Angelica Liu received her Ph.D in zoology from Oxford University, then returned to her home state of California to work at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. She quickly moved up the ranks, splitting her time between field work and research, never allowing her lab work to get in the way of her connection with animals.

She is a model of efficiency but is tempered by her love of nature, making her the perfect director of field operations for EsperCorp. Ensnared by the allure of wild espers, Angelica Liu has been a welcome addition to the team, bringing a sense of focus to the rest of the field agents. While normally cooped up in the office making sure everything goes off without a hitch, she makes an effort to go out on investigative missions to "stay in the game."

AGENT HENRY JONES

Head Field Agent

Henry Jones has had a long and colorful road to his current position as head field agent of Espercorp. The son of American diplomats, he spent his childhood at a series of international schools all over the world. Upon graduating from college, he was recruited by the CIA and spent many years doing things that he is not at liberty to discuss with civilians. He retired at 40 to relax in the Caribbean islands, but fate had other plans. While marlin fishing off the coast of Mexico, Henry's yacht was hit by a massive storm and he was forced to abandon ship. He swam to the nearest skiff, which just so happened to be operated by Dr. Rhine and Dr. Alister, who were investigating the overwhelming influx of Skywhal. Sure that Rhine had been sent to give his life new purpose, Agent Jones has brought his incredible experience and skill to bear for Espercorp, traveling far and wide to explore the thymosphere.

RUSTY NICKEL

Intern

Rusty Nickel is the newest addition to the Espercorp family, and as such, sometimes he gets left out of things, but no matter, because here is his bio. He graduated from college with a degree in computer science, and began to live his life in full, keeping up to date on the latest scientific developments, reading science fiction, and playing video games. His parents, for some reason displeased with his lifestyle, tried to force him to work, but most companies just didn't understand his genius/were boring.

Anyway, Rusty's Uncle, seeing that Rusty's talent was simply in need of a challenging work environment, contacted his old colleague, the great Dr. Cornelius Rhine. With a bit of prodding, Rhine was convinced to let Rusty come work at Espercorp, helping to discover groundbreaking new science! Also, he maintains the website, is unpaid, and has had to promise not to destroy any important research - and so far, he totally hasn't.

CASSANDRA RHINE

Lab Assistant

The daughter of Dr. Cornelius Rhine, Cassandra was surrounded by all manner of scientific apparati from an early age. After her mother tragically passed away, Cassandra was raised by her father. The difficulties of juggling research and a five-year-old daughter found Dr. Rhine bringing Cassandra in to work with him often, where she gained an appreciation for science. Thanks to her natural intelligence and odd hours at the office, Cassandra found little value in setting time aside for her peers, instead taking strolls around her neighborhood, enjoying the calm of nature.

Frequently doing the work of her mother, Cassandra developed a nurturing disposition. As beautiful as she is intelligent, Cassandra for the most part eschewed the normal trappings of teenage life, jumping at the opportunity to work for her father during college. When he lost his residency at Stanford, she was more than happy to accompany him to a distant island to continue her beloved life of esper research. She spends her time in the lab as the first ever “esper behaviorist,” which entails her spending time amongst espers, attempting to connect with them and see what can be gained through experience rather than strictly scientific study.

AURORA PHILLIPS

Resident Artist

Aurora develops the artistic renderings of all the espers as they are discovered. Clearly an artist from birth, she was painting the walls with her leftovers at the age of three. As she grew, she continued to excel, showing deftness with every manner of pen and brush. At 16 she ran away from home, fed up with scripted life in the American school system. She traveled up and down the coast, camping and exploring the wilderness, then selling her surreal renderings of wild animals on street corners. Dr. Rhine was out for a walk one afternoon when he passed her by and stopped short, stunned. Her art was exactly how he envisioned espers would appear. He offered her a job on the spot.

Since joining Espercorp, Aurora can almost always be found in a smock, covered in paint and clay. She chooses to design every esper organically before conceding to the computer. Whatever the medium, her art is incredible and breathes palpable life into the otherwise intangible espers. And everyone certainly appreciates the mosaics and sculptures that regularly pop up around the complex.