White House Appoints Harvard Astronomer Avi Loeb to Lead UFO Council

The White House appointed Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb to lead a new scientific advisory council tasked with investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), framing the work as studying national security risks posed by UFOs.

“Harvard professor with polarizing alien theories is picked to lead Trump administration UFO council Harvard professor with polarizing alien theories is picked to lead Trump administration UFO council WASHINGTON (AP) — A polarizing Harvard astronomer known for splashy theories about alien visits has been tapped by the Trump administration to lead a team of outside scientists to study the national security risks posed by UFOs”

Associated Press

Loeb, who served as head of Harvard’s astronomy department until 2020, is set to helm a team of outside scientists to study the origins of mysterious orbs and other objects reported by military personnel in recent years.

Associated Press

The council will report to a newly established UAP Governance Board overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to declassify information on UFOs.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Loeb said, "It’s like a detective story," and added, "It’s a lot of fun, as long as you don’t pay too much attention to the critics."

The appointment follows Loeb’s earlier public attention in 2017 when he suggested that an interstellar object called ‘Oumuamua might be alien technology, and he later founded the Galileo Project at Harvard to search for extraterrestrial evidence.

The appointment drew criticism from scientists including Steve Desch, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University, who told the AP, "I don’t know what’s going to come of this, but we’re not going to get any closer to answering these questions with him in charge."

A former Pentagon official, Sean Kirkpatrick, also questioned Loeb’s appointment, telling the AP that he is “not viewed favorably” by much of the scientific community and lacks national security experience.

El Confidencial

The Hill reported that the council will report to a newly established UAP Governance Board overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, linking the effort to Trump administration efforts to declassify highly requested information surrounding UFOs.

STV News said Loeb’s team will report to a new White House panel focused on UFOs, now often referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, and noted that the White House did not respond to a request for comment about the criticism.

In the same coverage, Loeb said he aims to follow the science without distraction, telling STV News, "Let’s keep our eyes on the orbs," and "not the social media."

Loeb’s team includes figures such as retired Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet and billionaire Ben Lamm, and the group has requested over 50 documents related to UAP incidents from the Pentagon.

“After about 160 UFO files, the United States could publish additional documents in the next 30 days”

Laodong.vn

WGY reported that the council will report to a newly established UAP Governance Board overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and said Loeb plans to share findings with the public through a dedicated website.

STV News added that the Pentagon has released three batches of files ranging from decades-old FBI reports to more recent military videos showing orbs darting or soaring through the sky.

In a separate account of U.S. declassifications, Laodong.vn said the United States plans to declassify more related documents after about 160 UFO files, and it cited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the public should examine the dossiers for themselves.

Laodong.vn also reported that Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb said the file shows the U.S. government has collected data on the UAP, while UAP investigator Mick West said many similar materials had been published under former President Joe Biden and that the objects in the video could be distant bright points or optical effects of the camera lens.