Mel Currie earned a BA in mathematics and economics from Yale University and MA and PhD degrees in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. He taught mathematics in the Düsseldorf public schools for several years and has held professorships in mathematics at Auburn University and the University of Richmond. His career at the National Security Agency (NSA) spanned twenty-five years. Among several positions that the author held at NSA, he was Chief of the Cryptographic Research and Design Division (The Codemakers) for a decade. Mel Currie is a recipient of the NSA Director's Distinguished Service Medal. In 2019 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Mathematicians.

Mel Currie is the author of the 2018 book Mathematics: Rhyme and Reason, published jointly by the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. He is also the author of the 2019 novel Just Before Too Late.