Brian Greene
Called “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today” (The Washington Post), Brian Greene is a renowned theoretical physicist who is widely beloved for immersive and transcendently entertaining multimedia presentations that make complex ideas about space, time, and the universe accessible to a broad audience. He is co-founder, with his wife, Tracy Day, of the World Science Festival, an annual celebration that seeks to educate the public on the wonders of science and inspire a new generation of scientists. His latest bestseller, Until the End of Time, an exuberant exploration of the cosmos and humanity’s quest to find meaning in its vast expanse, was listed as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2020 by The New York Times. His next book will be published in the fall of 2027.
A Professor of Physics and of Mathematics at Columbia University, his pioneering work in string theory has helped shape the direction of modern theoretical physics, and his numerous scholarly papers have influenced generations of researchers.
Until the End of Time was described in The New York Times as “a love letter to the ephemeral cosmic moment when everything is possible. Reading it is like riding an escalator up through a giant department store. On the lower floors, you find things like time, energy, gravity and the Big Bang, and biology.” Praised as “ambitious and utterly readable” (The Wall Street Journal), the book takes readers from the big bang to the end of time, explaining how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how human beings have wrestled with our place in the universe.
“A cracking read. . . . The origins of matter, life and consciousness, and their grisly fate, are laid out here with elegant clarity. If you want to know how everything got here and where it’s going, read this book.”
—The Sunday Times (London)
Greene has written several other New York Times bestselling books, including The Elegant Universe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a Peabody Award-winning PBS television special, The Fabric of the Cosmos, which was adapted into a four-part PBS television special that was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, and The Hidden Reality. Translated into more than two dozen languages, his books have captivated millions of readers and helped bring advanced physics into mainstream culture.
Founded in 2008, the World Science Festival has since become “a new cultural institution” (The New York Times). The Festival draws massive crowds each year and features interactive exhibits, panel discussions, and performances that bring the thrill of scientific discovery to the public.
Through documentaries, television appearances, and digital media, Greene has become one of the world’s most recognizable science communicators. He has frequently served as a technical consultant for film and television, has appeared multiple times as a guest of Stephen Colbert, has played himself in an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and has had cameo roles in a number of films.
Among his many awards, he received the Michael Pupin Medal for Service to the Nation in Science in 2022 and the AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science in 2025.
For more information, visit briangreene.org. More videos of Greene speaking are available upon request.
Called “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today” (The Washington Post), Brian Greene is a renowned theoretical physicist who is widely beloved for immersive and transcendently entertaining multimedia presentations that make complex ideas about space, time, and the universe accessible to a broad audience. He is co-founder, with his wife, Tracy Day, of the World Science Festival, an annual celebration that seeks to educate the public on the wonders of science and inspire a new generation of scientists. His latest bestseller, Until the End of Time, an exuberant exploration of the cosmos and humanity’s quest to find meaning in its vast expanse, was listed as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2020 by The New York Times. His next book will be published in the fall of 2027.
A Professor of Physics and of Mathematics at Columbia University, his pioneering work in string theory has helped shape the direction of modern theoretical physics, and his numerous scholarly papers have influenced generations of researchers.
Until the End of Time was described in The New York Times as “a love letter to the ephemeral cosmic moment when everything is possible. Reading it is like riding an escalator up through a giant department store. On the lower floors, you find things like time, energy, gravity and the Big Bang, and biology.” Praised as “ambitious and utterly readable” (The Wall Street Journal), the book takes readers from the big bang to the end of time, explaining how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how human beings have wrestled with our place in the universe.
“A cracking read. . . . The origins of matter, life and consciousness, and their grisly fate, are laid out here with elegant clarity. If you want to know how everything got here and where it’s going, read this book.”
—The Sunday Times (London)
Greene has written several other New York Times bestselling books, including The Elegant Universe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a Peabody Award-winning PBS television special, The Fabric of the Cosmos, which was adapted into a four-part PBS television special that was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, and The Hidden Reality. Translated into more than two dozen languages, his books have captivated millions of readers and helped bring advanced physics into mainstream culture.
Founded in 2008, the World Science Festival has since become “a new cultural institution” (The New York Times). The Festival draws massive crowds each year and features interactive exhibits, panel discussions, and performances that bring the thrill of scientific discovery to the public.
Through documentaries, television appearances, and digital media, Greene has become one of the world’s most recognizable science communicators. He has frequently served as a technical consultant for film and television, has appeared multiple times as a guest of Stephen Colbert, has played himself in an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and has had cameo roles in a number of films.
Among his many awards, he received the Michael Pupin Medal for Service to the Nation in Science in 2022 and the AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science in 2025.
For more information, visit briangreene.org. More videos of Greene speaking are available upon request.
Beyond the Stars: A Journey to the Edge of Space, Time, and Meaning
From the big bang to the end of time, join us on a multimedia journey across the cosmos with physicist and bestselling author Professor Brian Greene. Utilizing immersive visuals and Greene’s iconic knack for making difficult concepts easy to understand, Greene will guide us through the formation of stars and black holes, the development of life and mind, and the emergence of the human quest to find coherence and meaning–—all within an evolving universe governed by mathematical laws, and all wrapped up in an entertaining, fascinating and accessible evening.
The Search for Quantum Reality
Nearly a century after the birth of quantum mechanics, the debate surrounding its implications for the nature of reality remains as vigorous as ever. In this captivating visual exploration, we journey into the enigmatic realm of the quantum, celebrating the theory’s remarkable achievements while grappling with the profound mysteries that continue to challenge our understanding of the universe.
Breakthrough Thinking
Many of the greatest discoveries emerged from a subtle hint, something that wasn’t quite right, a seemingly minor mismatch that would not quite resolve. While many would simply disregard such outliers as noise amongst the true data, the revolutionary thinkers are those who followed such loose threads to paradigm-shattering breakthroughs. Indeed, while many leading physicists of an earlier era believed that everything there is to know had already been discovered, and what remained was merely to fine-tune that knowledge, the maverick thinkers leveraged tiny cracks in the architecture of mainstream understanding, to foment revolutionary upheavals that created today’s world. In this visually immersive and captivating talk, Brian Greene invites the audience to step inside some of the most dramatic and mind-bending of these ideas to experience the world through the eyes of physicists who remade our grasp on reality—and to guide us all a step closer to finding the hidden gateways that may create a new tomorrow.
Big Science & The Future of Discovery
Real science, replicable science, peer-reviewed science, well-funded science, no-strings-attached science is our most potent tool for finding solutions to the critical problems that face us as we attempt to move our species forward. In this presentation, Greene shines a bright spotlight on the power of science and addresses some of the hallmark qualities that define those who lead: Dreaming big, leveraging diverse capacities, investing in basic foundational research, and eschewing quick returns in favor of long-term discovery.
- Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe (Knopf, 2020)
- The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos (Vintage, 2011)
- The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality (Vintage, 2005)
- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory (W. W. Norton & Company, 1999)
- 2025 AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science
- 2022 Michael Pupin Medal for Service to the Nation in Science
- 2013 Merck-Serono Book Prize for Literature and Science, The Hidden Reality
- 2012 AAPT Richtmeyer Memorial Award for Research and Teaching
- 2010 Cooper Union Urban Visionary Award
- 2004 Phi Beta Kappa Book Award
- 2003 Gemant Award, American Institute of Physics
- 2003 George Foster Peabody Award, The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene
- 2000 Aventis Prize, The Elegant Universe
- 2000 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for General Nonfiction, The Elegant Universe
- 1993 Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- 1992 National Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation
- 1987 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Mathematical Sciences, National Science Foundation
Few humans share Greene’s mastery of both the latest cosmological science and English prose.
[T]he single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.
Brian Greene is a master at elucidating the laws of physics.
There’s tremendous joy in witnessing a brilliant and curious mind wrestle with such profound issues. [Greene] takes readers on a remarkable journey.
- WATCH: Live Q&A with Brian Greene, World Science Festival
- WATCH: Starry Night: A Voyage Across Space and Time trailer, The Kennedy Center
- LISTEN: How to Find Meaning in an Evolving Universe, How To Academy Podcast
- WATCH: Dr. Brian Greene’s Thoughts On The Artemis II, World Science Festival
- WATCH: The Crisis at the Edge of a Black Hole, World Science Festival
- LISTEN: Brian Greene This Tiny Slice of Eternity, On Being with Krista Tippet
- “I Am Not A Believer In Free Will”: A Conversation With Physicist Brian Greene, Forbes
- Interview: Brian Greene, Lightspeed Magazine
- An Interview with Brian Greene, The Oxonian Review
- WATCH: Why Do Stories Outlast Civilizations?, World Science Festival
- WATCH: Are We Rewiring Our Minds?, World Science Festival
BOOKS
Until the End of Time
[E]ncyclopedic in its ambition and its erudition, often heartbreaking . . . A love letter to the ephemeral cosmic moment when everything is possible.
The New York Times Book Review
The Elegant Universe
The Hidden Reality
The Fabric of the Cosmos
Videos
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