Professor of Science, Harvard University | Former Chair, Harvard Astronomy Department | Author, Extraterrestrial

About

Dr. Avi Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and one of the most decorated and controversial astrophysicists alive. He served as chair of Harvard's Astronomy Department for nine years and has published over 800 peer-reviewed papers on topics ranging from black holes and the early universe to the search for extraterrestrial life. He became a global figure with the publication of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, in which he argued that the interstellar object 'Oumuamua — which moved through our solar system in 2017 with properties that defied conventional explanation — was most likely of artificial, non-human origin. He founded the Galileo Project to systematically search for physical evidence of extraterrestrial technological artifacts near Earth using scientific instrumentation, and in 2023 his team retrieved metallic spherules from the Pacific Ocean floor that may be of interstellar origin. Loeb has taken withering criticism from the scientific establishment — and keeps going anyway.

Sessions at CITD 2026

[LECTURE]

Searching for Extraterrestrial Technological Artifacts Near Earth: Packages in Our Mailbox

Dr. Loeb presents the latest findings from the Galileo Project, including analysis of interstellar meteorite materials retrieved from the Pacific Ocean and what they may tell us about technological civilizations beyond our solar system.