Person
Avi Loeb
Harvard astronomer; leads the scientific advisory council on UAP (2026)
2022– · Scientists and academia · Scientist
Harvard astronomer and founder of the Galileo Project, of which Elizondo was a research affiliate in 2022, he commented on Grusch's claims in 2023; according to Kirkpatrick, they had started a scientific paper together that was left unfinished. In June 2026 he took over leadership of the scientific advisory council on UAP, an external body of 12 members that works alongside the interagency committee set up by ODNI, FBI and the Pentagon, and called the third PURSUE tranche the most intriguing. He sits on the board of the Disclosure Foundation.
- Key claims
- Said that the data shared with the scientific council will all be unclassified.
- Called the third tranche of PURSUE files the most intriguing released up to that point (June 2026).
- Today
- Has led the scientific advisory council on UAP since June 2026; in September 2026 ODNI deputy director Aaron Lukas thanked him for his advice to the intelligence UAP committee.
Documented authority
It measures how documented and verifiable what the person claims is, not their honesty. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2.
- Credentials 2/2
- Academic positions and leadership of the council are documented.
- Direct access not applicable
- Not applicable: does not claim direct knowledge of the facts; reports sources or documents.
- Evidence provided not applicable
- Not applicable: does not advance claims of their own on UAP facts.
- Claims track record not applicable
- The sources consulted do not trace the outcome of any verifiable claims made by this person.
- Conflicts of interest not applicable
- The sources consulted do not document financial interests tied to the topic.
Sources
- The Debrief, June 8, 2023: the Grusch case and Congress (press, pro-disclosure)
- Science, January 28, 2022: Avi Loeb's Galileo Project (press)
- DefenseScoop, June 17, 2026: the UAP scientific advisory council is created (press)
- Transcript of Kirkpatrick's interview with the Guardian (Daniel Lavelle), March 2024 (Metabunk) (analysis, skeptical)
- Avi Loeb (Medium), June 13, 2026: the third PURSUE tranche (analysis)
- UFO Feed, September 17, 2026: Mellon's Disclosure Foundation against the WSJ (aggregator) (other, pro-disclosure)
On this site
Timeline 3
- May 2026: The “Disclosure Forum 2026” in Congress with Gillibrand, Burlison and Burchett
- Jun 17, 2026: An external science council led by Avi Loeb is created
- Sep 17, 2026: Mellon asks the WSJ to correct the articles on “Yankee Blue”
Open in the interactive archive The whole section: Directory of people
UAPgrade's entries are compiled with artificial intelligence (three verifiers with opposing roles) and checked against the sources listed above: how we work. Have a document that changes this entry? Bring it to the Investigations Unit.