Bruce W. Halstead earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a medical degree from Loma Linda University. A biotoxicologist and physician at the World Life Research Institute in California, Halstead has spent 40 years, in more than 150 countries, researching the material for his book Dangerous Marine Animals That Bite, Sting, Shock, or Are Non-edible, Third Edition. Beginning as a research assistant at California Academy of Sciences, Halstead taught, lectured, and conducted further research on marine life and the sea.
A member of the American Association for the Advancement of the Sea and various other organizations and societies, Halstead has contributed articles to scientific journals and newspapers all over the world.