Douglas Vakoch is an astrobiologist, search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) researcher, and psychologist. He is the founder and president of METI International, which transmits intentional signals to presumed extraterrestrial civilizations.Under Vakoch, METI has transmitted messages to Luyten's Star. He advocates that such transmission messages do not increase risks of an alien invasion.Vakoch has edited many books about SETI, astrobiology, the psychology of space exploration, and ecocriticism. He has appeared on television and radio as a commentator on SETI and astrobiology. He is an emeritus professor of clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).