Alan Lightman is an American writer, physicist, and social entrepreneur. He has a PhD in physics from the California Institute of Technology and six honorary degrees. Lightman has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. He was the first person at MIT to have a joint faculty position in science and in the humanities. His essays and articles have appeared in many magazines and newspapers. His novels include Einstein’s Dreams, an international bestseller, and The Diagnosis, a finalist for the National Book Award in the US. Some of his recent nonfiction books include The Accidental Universe, and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine. In 2005, Lightman founded the Harpswell Foundation, whose mission is to advance a new generation of women leaders in Southeast Asia.