Photo of Leonard in front of a green background
Leonard Mlodinow was recently awarded the PEN Award.

Last month UC Berkeley alumnus Leonard Mlodinow was awarded the PEN: E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for his book Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior.

“I am thrilled of course because the PEN Award is one of the most respected writing awards in the country,” said Mlodinow.

Mlodinow received his PhD in Theoretical Physics from Berkeley in 1981 and has authored and co-authored many books on science. The genesis of Subliminal came from his recent fascination in neuroscience, which he attributes to revolutionary developments in Applied Physics and Biophysics, he said.

“I wrote Subliminal because if we really want to understand ourselves and others, and to overcome many of the obstacles that keep us from leading the fullest, richest life, we need to understand the influence of the subliminal world that is hidden within each of us,” said Mlodinow.

Mlodinow is currently a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology.

The PEN Award comes with a $10,000 prize.