WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A polarizing Harvard astronomer known for splashy theories about alien visits has been tapped by the to lead a team of outside scientists to study the posed by .
Avi Loeb, a cosmologist who studied black holes and served as head of Harvard鈥檚 astronomy department until 2020, was recently appointed to helm a new scientific advisory council tasked with investigating the origins of mysterious orbs and other objects reported by military personnel in recent years.
Loeb鈥檚 team will report to a new panel focused on UFOs, now often referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP. The panel was established by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It鈥檚 part of the push to declassify more information about the issue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a detective story,鈥� Loeb said in an interview. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun, as long as you don鈥檛 pay too much attention to the critics.鈥�
For the last decade, Loeb has been scanning the skies and seas for evidence of intelligent alien life. He began the quest in 2017 as scientists puzzled over an soaring by Earth. While others proposed it was a comet or ice chunk, Loeb said it could be a thin 鈥渓ight sail鈥� detached from an alien spacecraft.
His theories have won praise in UFO circles but often put him in conflict with academic peers. Other astronomers accuse him of making exotic claims with little evidence. Some chafe at his habit of skipping the peer review process and bringing claims directly to the public.
Steve Desch, an Arizona State University astrophysicist who has challenged some of Loeb鈥檚 theories, said Loeb uses flawed methods to reach wild conclusions about alien life 鈥� all while shunning a more established branch of science searching for life beyond Earth.
Loeb鈥檚 role on the administration鈥檚 new panel casts doubt on the entire endeavor, Desch said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going to come of this, but we鈥檙e not going to get any closer to answering these questions with him in charge,鈥� Desch said.
The team includes scientists, UFO activists and a billionaire
Loeb brushes his critics aside, saying they lack the imagination to consider new ideas. He鈥檚 promising a grounded approach to his work for the Trump administration. As he analyzes UAP, he鈥檚 starting with the assumption that they鈥檙e the work of humans, he said, approaching it from a national security perspective.
Nonetheless, he envisions an outcome where his work could lead to something bigger. If the government invests in better data collection on Loeb said, it could settle the alien debate once and for all.
His hand-picked team includes more than a dozen scientists and UFO activists. Among them is Timothy Gallaudet, a retired rear admiral who has controlled by 鈥渘onhuman intelligence,鈥� claiming the United States has recovered crashed aircraft. Also on the team is Ben Lamm, a billionaire working to .
After its first meeting last month, the team sent a request to the Pentagon asking for more than 50 videos, images and other documents related to known UAP incidents. Loeb鈥檚 group meets behind closed doors, but he has vowed to brief the public and create a website to share findings.
鈥淎t a time when science is not so much celebrated, this is an opportunity to actually do good for all sides involved,鈥� Loeb said.
New UAP board created in response to Trump鈥檚 order for transparency
Earlier this year, Trump to provide more transparency on questions of UFOs and alien life. So far, 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.
Trump鈥檚 directive led to the creation of a UAP Governance Board overseen by the . The board met for the first time in June, and is supported by Loeb鈥檚 team and several other advisory groups, the office said.
It comes as a bipartisan group in Congress pushes the White House to go further, with some Republicans amplifying claims the U.S. is hiding evidence of alien encounters. The White House has encouraged anyone with information to come forward. A Pentagon office that investigates UAP says it has seen no evidence of alien life.
Loeb said he doesn鈥檛 buy into cover-up theories. 鈥淢y impression is the government is baffled by not being able to infer the nature of some of these objects,鈥� he said.
Before looking for aliens, Loeb studied black holes and galaxies
Before he became known for his alien theories, Loeb was a respected cosmologist who authored hundreds of papers, specializing in black holes and the birth of galaxies. He served as chair of Harvard鈥檚 astronomy department for nearly a decade.
Loeb鈥檚 career took a turn with his 鈥渓ight sail鈥� theory in 2017, which he presented in a paper and later a book. He went on to found the Galileo Project at Harvard, with a stated mission to search for artifacts from alien civilizations.
His team drew attention in 2023 when they used magnets to retrieve hundreds of small spheres from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, near the possible site of a 2014 meteor crash. After analyzing the metallic 鈥渟pherules,鈥� Loeb suggested they came from a distant planet or, alternately, from technology.
Other scholars challenged the claim, saying it was probably volcanic rock or coal ash.
Sean Kirkpatrick, a physicist who previously investigated UAP at the Pentagon鈥檚 All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, said Loeb is 鈥渘ot viewed favorably鈥� in the scientific community and lacks national security experience. He said the makeup of Loeb鈥檚 team suggests the Trump administration is more interested in fringe theories than hard science.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the criticism.
Loeb, meanwhile, said he aims to follow the science without distraction. 鈥淟et鈥檚 keep our eyes on the orbs,鈥� he said, 鈥渘ot the social media.鈥�
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This story was first published June 30, 2026. It was updated July 1, 2026, to correct that the panel was established by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in response to President Donald Trump鈥檚 February directive on the issue, not by the White House itself.
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