Berkley Center

Alan Lightman is Professor of the Practice of the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was also the John Burchard Professor of the Humanities at MIT until 2003. An accomplished physicist and author, Lightman bridges the sciences and the humanities through his exploration of the intersection between science, human experience, and faith in his writing; he has published many essays in news, science, and literary publications. Lightman has written several novels, including The Diagnosis (2000), Reunion (2003), Ghost (2007), and Mr g (2012), a novel on creation as told by God. The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew (2014) explores the philosophical, moral, and theological implications of new findings in science. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Lightman earned his B.A. in physics from Princeton University and Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology. In 2003, Lightman founded the Harpswell Foundation, which seeks to empower future women leaders in Cambodia and elsewhere.