I'm interested in how the world works at the deepest levels, which leads me to do research in physics and philosophy. My current interests include foundational questions in quantum mechanics, spacetime, statistical mechanics, complexity, and cosmology, with occasional dabblings elsewhere. My new book is The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Quanta and Fields, where I introduce modern physics with all the details, in a way accessible to anyone. I host a podcast, Mindscape, where I interview smart people about all sorts of interesting ideas.

My official title is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins, and I am also Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. I live in Baltimore with my wife, writer Jennifer Ouellette, and two cats, Ariel and Caliban.