Avi Loeb

Avi Loeb is a trailblazing theoretical physicist at Harvard, serving as the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science. He has directed the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) at the Center for Astrophysics since 2007, was the long-time Chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy 

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A prolific researcher, Loeb has authored eight books including Extraterrestrial (2021) and Interstellar (2023) as well as hundreds of scientific papers spanning topics from black holes and early stars to cosmology and technosignatures 

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In 2021, he launched the Galileo Project, an audacious scientific initiative aimed at searching for physical artifacts of extraterrestrial technological civilizations using transparent, data-driven methodologies 

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Among his many honors, Loeb is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. He chaired the advisory committee for Breakthrough Starshot and served in leadership roles with the Breakthrough Prize .

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He also contributes to science policy as a former member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and continues to influence through research, public discourse, and mentorship at Harvard.