Leonard Mlodinow

Leonard Mlodinow is a theoretical physicist and author, recognized for groundbreaking discoveries in physics, who has transitioned into a career of writing about science for the general public.

He has authored or co-authored several books, including "The Grand Design," co-authored with Stephen Hawking, which reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list; "Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior," which won the 2013 PEN/E.O. Wilson award for literary science writing; and "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives," a New York Times notable book, which was also short-listed for the Royal Society book award.

Dr. Mlodinow is also known through his many public lectures and media appearances on programs ranging from "Morning Joe" to "Through the Wormhole," and for debating Deepak Chopra on ABC's "Nightline.

A former professor at Caltech, Dr. Mlodinow left academia for Hollywood and wrote for television series such as: "Hunter," "MacGyver," "Star Trek: the Next Generation," and "Night Court," among others. He would later enter video gaming, becoming producer, executive producer and designer of several award-winning games, and, as head of Scholastic Inc.'s software, created a children's games division and built it into one of the top five in the United States. While at Scholastic, he also wrote his first popular science book, "Euclid's Window," which has now appeared in 16 languages.

In 2005, Dr. Molodinow came full circle, returning to Caltech to teach, while continuing to write books. He left to write full time in 2013.

Dr. Mlodinow, the son of Holocaust survivors, is a graduate of Brandeis University. He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of California at Berkeley.