Janna Levin
Janna Levin is a theoretical physicist, author, and science host who brings black holes, the shape of the universe, and big unanswered questions to books, podcasts, and Pioneer Works.
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Latest
Janna’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
StarTalkOverview
- Work
- Theoretical physicist, author, and science host
- Academic home
- Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College of Columbia University
- Education
- BA, Barnard College; PhD in theoretical physics, MIT
- Literary milestone
- 2007 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines
- Science and culture
- Founding Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works
Mini bio
How it started.
Levin studied astronomy and physics at Barnard, with a concentration in philosophy, then earned her PhD in theoretical physics at MIT. Postdoctoral work took her to Berkeley, CITA, Cambridge, and Oxford. She joined Barnard’s faculty in January 2004.
Finding a voice.
Her first book, How the Universe Got Its Spots, appeared in 2002 as a personal account in unsent letters to her mother. In 2006 she moved into fiction with A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, intertwining the lives of Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. Its 2007 PEN/Bingham win marked a literary milestone alongside her scientific career.
Listening to the universe.
Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space follows the scientists behind the search for gravitational waves. Black Hole Survival Guide pairs her account of black holes with artwork by Lia Halloran. She also presented NOVA’s Black Hole Apocalypse on PBS.
Science as culture.
Levin joined Pioneer Works’ founders in 2012 and built its Science Studios with support from the Simons Foundation. Her public work now includes Scientific Controversies, Quanta’s The Joy of Why, the Higher Dimensions newsletter, and StarTalk’s In Theory.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2020Black Hole Survival GuideAuthor
- 2016Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer SpaceAuthor
- 2006A Madman Dreams of Turing MachinesAuthor
- 2002How the Universe Got Its SpotsAuthor
Screen and audio
- 2026In TheoryHost, StarTalk miniseries
- 2026The Joy of Why: How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole?Co-host and interviewer
- 2018Black Hole ApocalypsePresenter, NOVA / PBS
Awards
Quotes
I wanted to find a voice and tell a story.Janna Levin, Penguin Random House author interview
Explaining why she wanted her books to reach beyond the possibilities of technical scientific writing.
Trivia
- Her first book took the form of unsent letters to her mother.
- She was the first scientist-in-residence at Oxford’s Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing.
- Artist Lia Halloran, whose work appears in Black Hole Survival Guide, is one of her close friends.
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Follow her writing, conversations, and dispatches from space and time.
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