Character from Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Hail Mary's intended science specialist — killed in an Astrophage handling accident before launch, creating the vacancy that Grace was forced to fill.
DuBois was the right person for the job: trained, willing, and scientifically qualified to serve as the Hail Mary's primary science specialist. His death in a pre-launch Astrophage accident — alongside backup specialist Annie Shapiro — created the crisis that led to Grace's forced conscription. He is important not for who he was but for the hole his absence created. His death is the hinge on which the entire plot turns. If DuBois had lived, Grace would still be teaching eighth-grade science in a classroom that smelled like dry-erase markers. Instead, DuBois's death gave Stratt the justification to do the unthinkable: drug a reluctant scientist and launch him into space against his will.
Details sparse — a scientist, not a soldier. Carried himself with the careful precision of someone trained to handle volatile materials.
Also known as: DuBois, Martin