WASHINGTON — The White House has appointed cosmologist Avi Loeb to lead a new scientific advisory council tasked with investigating the origins of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). Loeb's team will report to a White House panel focused on UAP.

Loeb served as chair of Harvard's astronomy department for nearly a decade until 2020 and authored hundreds of papers on black holes and galaxy formation. In 2017, he began searching for evidence of intelligent alien life, proposing that an interstellar object observed that year could be a thin "light sail" from an alien spacecraft. He later founded the Galileo Project at Harvard to search for artifacts from alien civilizations.

In 2023, Loeb's team retrieved hundreds of small metallic spheres from the Pacific Ocean floor near the site of a 2014 meteor crash. Loeb suggested the "spherules" originated from a distant planet or alien technology. He approaches UAP analysis from a national security perspective, starting with the assumption that they are human-made. Loeb has vowed to brief the public and create a website to share findings, stating he does not believe in cover-up theories.

The team includes more than a dozen scientists and UFO activists, such as retired Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet and billionaire Ben Lamm. Following its first meeting, the group requested over 50 videos, images, and documents related to known UAP incidents from the Pentagon. The group meets behind closed doors. Loeb described the work as, "It's like a detective story."

Arizona State University astrophysicist Steve Desch said, "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." Loeb responded to criticism by stating, "It's a lot of fun, as long as you don't pay too much attention to the critics."

President Donald Trump directed his administration earlier in 2026 to provide more transparency on UFOs and alien life. This directive led to the creation of a UAP Governance Board overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which met for the first time in June 2026. The Pentagon has released three batches of files related to UFOs, ranging from decades-old FBI reports to recent military videos. A Pentagon office investigating UAP stated it has seen no evidence of alien life. The White House has encouraged anyone with information to come forward.