UAP Science Advisory Council
The UAP Science Advisory Council is a volunteer scientific advisory body formed in June 2026 that assists the U.S. government's UAP investigations. It is led by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, and its members include the skeptic Michael Shermer.
The UAP Science Advisory Council is a body of volunteer scientists established in June 2026 that provides scientific advice to support the U.S. government's investigations of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). It is led by Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard University and director of the Galileo Project, who announced its formation in an online post in mid-2026.
Formation and operation
The council is tied to a directive issued by President Donald Trump in February 2026 ordering transparency on UAP matters, following which the government has been releasing the UAP files in installments since spring 2026. According to Loeb, the council's formation was preceded by a meeting with a representative of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
The council does not deal directly with the White House or the intelligence community, but works through a newly established multi-agency governing body, the UAP Governance Board, on which the ODNI, the FBI and the Department of Defense are represented. Its task is to help the Pentagon's office handling UAP matters, AARO, resolve cases, and to advise on whether a given sighting represents a national security threat or a scientific discovery. The council works exclusively with unclassified data, such as the released Pentagon materials, and intends to publish its findings on its own website and in peer-reviewed journals. It has no budget of its own; members take part in the work unpaid, as volunteers.
Members
The members announced at its formation included philosopher Carol Cleland, data analyst Richard Cloete, retired Navy rear admiral and oceanographer Tim Gallaudet, entrepreneur Ben Lamm, Stanford University molecular biologist Garry Nolan, physicist Matthew Szydagis, psychologist Jennice Vilhauer, and Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic magazine, whom Loeb specifically invited to serve as the council's in-house skeptic. By July 2026, the number of publicly named members had grown to 18.
Reception
Several people criticized the council's composition, because a significant share of the named members are affiliated with Harvard, while the members of the governing body above the council are not public. According to Shermer, his job is to keep the work within the bounds of scientific consensus, and he does not expect exotic explanations to pass the test of the laws of physics.
Sources
- DefenseScoop: New science advisory council forms to help US government resolve the UAP mystery (2026. június 17.)
- Scientific American: The White House goes all in on aliens with new UAP Science Advisory Council
- The Harvard Crimson: Avi Loeb UAP council (2026. július 11.)
- Avi Loeb: White House Creates a UAP Science Council (Medium)