White House Forms UAP Science Advisory Council to Study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

The White House announced the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Science Advisory Council, a panel of scientists to advise senior officials on UAPs. Formed after Harvard professor Avi Loeb met a representative of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the council reports to the ODNI and a classified board that includes the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and the FBI. The council has no budget, receiving only travel-expense reimbursements.

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The council follows President Donald Trump’s pledge to release UAP records, some now on a Pentagon website. At a Disclosure Forum in the Senate, Loeb and members discussed national-security, economic, religious and social implications of UAP confirmation, with several members of Congress attending.

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Avi Loeb, a Harvard professor who leads the Galileo Project, chairs the council. Members include psychologist Jennice Vilhauer, who will study UAP encounters, and Michael Shermer, founder of Skeptic magazine. Timothy Gallaudet, a former Navy officer, will analyze publicly released videos to estimate velocities. Board members remain undisclosed, and some are believed to be government employees with classified duties.

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Loeb said the council will publish findings on a website, seek peer-reviewed articles, and noted the president is not involved but receives reports. Senator Mike Rounds praised UAP transparency but said the council’s interaction with Congress remains unclear, and its mandate is limited to research recommendations, not investigations.

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Michael Shermer, a council member, cautioned that many speculative explanations—such as space-time bubbles, multi-dimensional beings or future human time travelers—are “so unlikely or impossible by the laws of physics” that they are not worth pursuing. He suggested that government officials view UAPs as non-extraterrestrial security concerns.

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Board members are secret, and the council cannot examine classified UAP data, creating a gap between public evidence and potential classified insights. Its influence on policy or future funding remains unclear.

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• “They had me at hello,” — Avi Loeb, Harvard professor

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• “Pretty much everyone on the committee is more open to the possibility that UAPs could represent something other than ordinary terrestrial phenomena,” — Michael Shermer, Skeptic magazine founder

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• “Our job is just to research the phenomenon and make recommendations for further scientific study,” — Timothy Gallaudet, Navy veteran

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• “We might be learning some fundamental new science principles or results by studying these phenomena,” — Avi Loeb, Harvard professor

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The council will launch its website in weeks, publish analyses, and submit peer-reviewed papers. Collaboration with the ODNI and the classified board will guide research, while congressional committees monitor progress.

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