This is a list of notable people who are
ufologists (
UFO researchers).
Argentina
*
Juan Posadas, (1912–1981), Trotskyist theorist who blended together Trotskyism and Ufology. Posadas' version of Trotskyism is regarded as its own strain, and called
Posadism.
*
Fabio Zerpa, (1928–2019),
parapsychologist and
UFO researcher.
Brazil
*
Ademar José Gevaerd
Ademar José Gevaerd (19 March 1962 – 9 December 2022), also known simply as A. J. Gevaerd was a Brazilian ufologist. He was editor of ''Revista UFO'' (UFO Magazine), founder and director of the Brazilian Center for Flying Saucer Research (C ...
(b. 1962)
Canada
*
Paul Hellyer, (1923–2021), Canadian Defense Minister.
*
Stanton Friedman, (1934–2019), U.S. born Canadian ufologist, former nuclear physicist, did early research on Roswell and also MJ-12 documents.
[
]
Estonia
*
Igor Volke
Igor Volke (born 19 January 1950 in Jõgeva, Estonia) is an Estonian ufologist and researcher of environmental anomalies.
In 1985 he founded the organization AKRAK (''Anomaalsete Keskkonnanähtuste Registreerimise ja Analüüsi Komisjon'') fo ...
(b. 1950), ufologist and researcher of environmental anomalies
France
*
Jacques Bergier (1912–1978), writer, co-wrote the best-seller
The Morning of the Magicians.
*
Rémy Chauvin
Remy Chauvin (10 October 1913 – 8 December 2009) at Sainte-Croix-aux-Mines, Haut-Rhin, was a biologist and entomologist, and a French Honorary Professor Emeritus at the Sorbonne, PhD, and a senior research fellow since 1946. Chauvin was also k ...
(1913–2009), biologist and entomologist.
*
Robert Charroux (1909–1978), writer, promoted the
Ancient astronauts theory.
*
Aimé Michel (1919–1992), writer and ufologist.
*
Jean-Pierre Petit (b. 1937), engineer. Promoted the
Ummo theory. Created the Ufo-Science Association.
*
Jacques Vallée (b. 1939) computer scientist and author, important figure in the UFO studies in France and in the United States. Promoted the
extraterrestrial hypothesis and later the
interdimensional hypothesis.
Indonesia
*
J. Salatun
Raden Jacob Salatun (29 May 1927 in Banyumas – 3 February 2012 in Jakarta) was an Indonesia Air Force 3-star officer (Air marshal). He is known as a founder of Indonesia's National Institute of Aeronautics and Space in 1963. Between 28 March ...
, (1927–2012), pioneer of UFO research in Indonesia.
Italy
*
Monsignor Corrado Balducci
Corrado Balducci (May 11, 1923, in Italy – September 20, 2008 in Italy) was a Catholic theologian of the Vatican Curia, a close friend of the pope, a long-time exorcist for the Archdiocese of Rome, and a Prelate of the Congregation for the Evang ...
, (1923–2008),
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
theologian of the
Vatican Curia long time
exorcist for the
Archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of Rome.
Mexico
*
Jaime Maussan
José Jaime Maussan Flota (born May 31, 1953) is a Mexican journalist, television personality and ufologist.
Career
Jaime Maussan studied journalism at UNAM and Miami University in Ohio, United States.
Since 1970 he has been a reporter ...
, (b. 1953), Mexican journalist and ufologist.
Romania
*
Dan Apostol
*
Doru Davidovici
*
Ion Hobana
Spain
*
Iker Jiménez Elizari
Iker is a Basque male given name. The corresponding female name is Ikerne. It was created by the Spanish Basque writer Sabino Arana in his book ' (''Collection of Basque Saints' Names'')—an effort to provide neologistic Basque versions of names ...
(b. 1973), journalist born in the
Basque city of
Vitoria. He's licensed in Sciences of the Information by the Complutensian University of Madrid and the European University of Madrid. His wife, Carmen Porter, is also a journalist and investigator on paranormal activity; both work together in the show ''Cuarto Milenio'', in the TV network
Cuatro, and its radio version ''Milenio 3'' in
Cadena SER, about paranormal activity, Ufology and other mysteries.
Switzerland
*
Billy Meier, (b. 1937)
*
Erich von Däniken, (b. 1935), controversial Swiss author best known for his books which examine possible evidence for
extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial refers to any object or being beyond ( extra-) the planet Earth ( terrestrial). It is derived from the Latin words ''extra'' ("outside", "outwards") and ''terrestris'' ("earthly", "of or relating to the Earth"). It may be abbrevia ...
influences on early human culture.
*
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos (, el, Γεώργιος Τσούκαλος; born 14 March 1978) is a Swiss-born writer, and television presenter and producer. He is a ufologist and a promoter of the ancient astronauts hypothesis. He is best known for his ...
, (b. 1978), probably best known for his work on Ancient Aliens and alien memes.
United Kingdom
*
Brinsley Le Poer Trench
William Francis Brinsley Le Poer Trench, 8th Earl of Clancarty, 7th Marquess of Heusden (18 September 191118 May 1995) was a prominent ufologist. He was an Irish peer, as well as a nobleman in the Dutch nobility.
Biography
He was the fifth son o ...
, (1911–1995),
ufologist and a believer in
flying saucers, and in particular, the
Hollow Earth theory.
*
Timothy Good (b. 1942), British researcher and author.
*
Graham Hancock, (b. 1950), is a British writer and journalist. He is known for his pseudoscientific theories involving ancient civilisations, Earth changes, stone monuments or megaliths, altered states of consciousness, ancient myths, and astronomical or astrological data from the past.
*
George King, (1919–1997) regarded himself as "Primary Terrestrial Mental Channel" for great and evolved extraterrestrial Intelligences.
*
Elizabeth Klarer
Elizabeth Klarer (''née'' Woollatt; 1 July 1910 – 9 February 1994) was a South African woman who, starting in 1956, publicly claimed to have been contacted by aliens multiple times between 1954 and 1963. Klarer's first visitation supposedly o ...
, (1910–1984), South African contactee and UFO photographer.
*
Nick Pope, (b. 1965), Former head of the UFO desk,
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
; author of
Operation Thunder Child.
*
Jenny Randles, (b. 1951), British author and former director of investigations with the
British UFO Research Association (BUFORA).
*
Nick Redfern (b. 1964), British
ufologist/
Cryptozoologist now living in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas, US.
*
Peter A. Sturrock
Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 20 March 1924) is a British scientist. An emeritus professor of applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's career has been devoted to astrophysics, plasma physics, and solar physics, but Sturrock is i ...
(b. 1924) British scientist. An
emeritus professor
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of
applied physics at
Stanford University, much of Sturrock's career has been devoted to
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the he ...
,
, and
solar physics, but Sturrock is interested in other fields, including
ufology
Ufology ( ) is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins (most frequently of extraterrestrial alien visitors). While there are instances of government, private, and ...
, scientific
inference
Inferences are steps in reasoning, moving from premises to logical consequences; etymologically, the word '' infer'' means to "carry forward". Inference is theoretically traditionally divided into deduction and induction, a distinction that ...
, the
history of science
The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal.
Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...
, and the
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ulti ...
.
*
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...
, (1931–2013), English philosopher and author of ''Alien Dawn'' (1999).
United States
*
George Adamski (April 17, 1891 – April 23, 1965), controversial UFO contactee and known hoaxer of the 1950s, wrote several bestselling books about his encounters with friendly "space brothers" from other planets.
*
Orfeo Angelucci (aka Orville Angelucci) (June 25, 1912 – July 24, 1993), one of the most unusual of the mid-1950s UFO contactees.
*
Art Bell
Arthur William Bell III (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018) was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program ''Coast to Coast AM'', which is syndicated on hundreds of ...
(birth name: Arthur William Bell, III) (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018), U.S. radio broadcaster and author, known primarily as the founder and longtime host of the paranormal-themed radio program ''
Coast to Coast AM''.
*
William J. Birnes, American writer, editor, book publisher and literary rights agent. He is best known as an active publisher of UFO literature (UFO Magazine) and is a New York Times bestselling author.
*
Jerome Clark (b. 1946), UFO historian, author of the ''UFO Encyclopedia''
*
Philip J. Corso (1915–1998), Army Military Intelligence officer, wrote highly disputed book on
Roswell incident
The Roswell incident was an event that occurred in 1947, pertaining to the recovery of mundane metallic and rubber debris from a military balloon that crashed near Corona, New Mexico by United States Army Air Forces officers from Roswell Army ...
.
*
Robert Dean (March 2, 1929 – October 11, 2018), ufologist, reportedly read a document called ''An Assessment'' (1964), a NATO report on UFOs prompted by an incident on February 2, 1961 during which 50 UFOs allegedly appeared over Europe.
*
Tom DeLonge (born 1975), former singer and guitarist of
blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
and founder of To the Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences
*
Glenn Dennis
Glenn Dennis (March 24, 1925 – April 28, 2015) was a founder of the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico.
Early life
In 1940, at age 15, Dennis began working as a part-time assistant at the Ballard Funeral Home, ...
(March 24, 1925 – April 28, 2015), founder of the ''International UFO Museum and Research Center'' in Roswell, New Mexico, which opened in September 1991. Dennis is a self-professed witness to the Roswell incident (1947).
*
Danielle Egnew
Danielle Egnew is an American psychic medium, musician, media personality, actress and activist. Egnew currently resides in Billings with her wife Rebecca Douglas, who she married on November 20, 2014.
Music
Egnew is a singer/songwriter/compo ...
(b. February 28, 1969), American
Psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
/
Medium and Paranormal Radio, TV and Film host. Contactee who regularly reports on first-hand communication with extraterrestrial species along with detailed physics / design of extraterrestrial propulsion systems.
*
Raymond E. Fowler
Raymond Eveleth Fowler (born November 11, 1933, in Salem, Massachusetts) is an American author and UFO researcher.
UFO research
Fowler is best known for his UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) investigations and books focusing primarily on UFO si ...
(b. 1934), long-time UFO investigator, details one of the best multiple witness alien abduction cases on record, author of ''The Andreasson Affair'' and ''The Allagash Abductions''.
* James Fox, filmmaker responsible for
''The Phenomenon'' (2020) and
''Out of the Blue'' (2003).
*
Daniel Fry (July 19, 1908 – December 20, 1992), American
contactee who claimed he had multiple contacts with
an alien and took a ride in a remotely piloted alien spacecraft on July 4, 1949.
*
Allen H. Greenfield
Allen Henry Greenfield is an American occultist, UFOlogist, and author long involved in the free illuminist movement. He was consecrated as Tau Sir Hasirim in 1993 by Hierophant Michael Bertiaux of Chicago, Illinois. He was a member of Ordo Temp ...
(b. 1946), American
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...
ist,
Ufologist, writer, editor.
*
Steven M. Greer
Steven Macon Greer (June 28, 1955) is an American ufologistLewis-Kraus, Gideon (April 30, 2021How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously ''The New Yorker''. Retrieved on July 5, 2021. who founded the Center for the Study of Extraterrestria ...
(b. 1955), American physician known as a proponent of
openness
Openness is an overarching concept or philosophy that is characterized by an emphasis on transparency and collaboration. That is, openness refers to "accessibility of knowledge, technology and other resources; the transparency of action; the pe ...
in government, media and corporations when it comes to advanced technologies that he and others believe to have been shelved and hidden from public awareness for reasons of
profit and
influence.
*
Richard H. Hall
Richard H. Hall (December 25, 1930 – July 17, 2009)
was a Ufologist and proponent of the extraterrestrial hypothesis to explain UFO sightings. A member of the Authors Guild, he also wrote numerous books and magazine articles dealing with the ...
(December 25, 1930 – July 17, 2009), former assistant Director of
NICAP in the 1960s, former director of the
Fund for UFO Research in the 1980s.
*
Charles I. Halt
Charles I. Halt (born 1939) is a retired United States Air Force colonel and a former deputy base commander of RAF Bentwaters, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. After serving in Vietnam, Japan and Korea, he was assigned to Bentwaters as deputy commander. T ...
,(b. 1939) retired USAF Colonel who was a key figure in the
Rendlesham UFO incident in 1980.
*
Allan Hendry (b. 1950), astronomer, full-time UFO investigator for the
Center for UFO Studies in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
[ ''page 481'']
*
Budd Hopkins (1931–2011),
alien abduction
Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting their experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychologica ...
researcher.
*
J. Allen Hynek
Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under ...
(May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986), astronomer, consultant to
Project Blue Book (USAF). Founded CUFOS (
Center for UFO Studies).
*
David M. Jacobs (b1942),
alien abduction
Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting their experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychologica ...
researcher.
*
Morris K. Jessup (March 2 or 20, 1900 – April 20, 1959), photographer, is probably best remembered for his pioneering ufological writings and his role in uncovering the so-called
Philadelphia Experiment.
*
Leslie Kean - an investigative journalist and author who is most notable for books about
UFOs and the
afterlife.
*
John Keel (birth name: Alva John Kiehle) (March 25, 1930 – July 3, 2009), journalist, investigated the famous
Mothman Sightings in West Virginia in 1966 and 1967.
*
Donald Keyhoe (June 20, 1897 – November 29, 1988), aviator and Marine Corps officer, was the leader of
NICAP, the largest civilian UFO research group in the U.S., in the 1950s and 1960s.
*
Philip J. Klass (November 8, 1919 – August 9, 2005), senior editor of ''
Aviation Week and Space Technology'', leading UFO skeptic/debunker from mid-1960s until his death in 2005.
*
George Knapp (b. 1952), American
investigative journalist
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
.
*
Kevin H. Knuth, associate professor of physics at University at Albany, editor-in-chief of
''Entropy'' scientific journal, author of ''"Estimating Flight Characteristics of Anomalous Unidentified Aerial Vehicles"'' - scientific paper based on US Navy personnel UFO observations
*
Bob Lazar (b. 1959), owner of a mail-order scientific supply company who claims to have worked from 1988 until 1989 at an area called
S-4 (Sector Four).
*
Avi Loeb (b. 1962) is an
Israeli-American
theoretical physicist
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...
who works on
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the he ...
and
cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosophe ...
, Professor of Science at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. In 2018, he attracted media attention for suggesting that alien space craft may be in our solar system, using the anomalous behavior of
ʻOumuamua as an example.
He also claims that
UFO needs serious scientific study, as part of
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other p ...
research
*
Bruce Maccabee (b. 1942), retired US Navy optical physicist, has analyzed numerous UFO videos and photos.
*
John E. Mack (1929–2004),
Harvard psychiatrist/professor, alien abduction researcher.
*
James E. McDonald
James Edward McDonald (May 7, 1920 – June 13, 1971) was an American physicist. He is best known for his research regarding UFOs. McDonald was a senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and a professor of meteorology at the Univ ...
(1920-1971) Physicist and professor of meteorology at the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...
. Noted critic of the
Condon Report.
*
Jim Marrs (December 5, 1943 – August 2, 2017), conspiracy theorist, news reporter, college professor, and author of books and articles on a wide range of assorted
conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a neg ...
.
*
Riley Martin (May 9, 1946 – December 2015), self-described alien contactee, author, and radio host.
*
Donald Howard Menzel (1901–1976), professor of astronomy at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, leading UFO skeptic of the 1950s and 1960s.
*
James W. Moseley (1931–2012), editor of ''Saucer Smear'', long-time observer, author and commentator of the UFO phenomena.
*
Linda Moulton Howe (b. 1942), journalist known for investigating
cattle mutilations.
*
George Noory (b. 1950), broadcaster of the popular "Coast to Coast" radio broadcast; the program discusses paranormal events.
*
Curtis Peebles, aerospace historian for the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
, also a leading UFO skeptic.
*
Kevin D. Randle (b. 1949), captain in the US Air Force Reserves; also a leading investigator of the
Roswell incident
The Roswell incident was an event that occurred in 1947, pertaining to the recovery of mundane metallic and rubber debris from a military balloon that crashed near Corona, New Mexico by United States Army Air Forces officers from Roswell Army ...
in 1947.
*
Edward J. Ruppelt (July 17, 1923 – September 15, 1960), Air Force captain who supervised
Project Blue Book, the Air Force's official study of the UFO phenomenon in the 1950s and 1960s.
*
Harley Rutledge (1926–2006), solid-state physicist,
Southeast Missouri State University.
[Rutledge, Harley D. ''Project Identification: The first Scientific Study of UFO Phenomena''. Prentice-Hall 1981 ]
*
Robert Sheaffer (b. 1949), member of
CSICOP's UFO subcommittee, a leading UFO skeptic/debunker.
*
Whitley Strieber (b. 1946), author of ''
Communion,'' UFO researcher, paranormal phenomena expert, and alleged abductee.
*
Leonard H. Stringfield
Leonard Stringfield (1920–1994) was an American ufologist who took particular interest in crashed flying saucer stories. He died in 1994.
Stringfield was director of Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects (CRIFO), and published a mo ...
, (1920–1994), American ufologist who took particular interest in crashed flying saucer stories.
*
Michael D. Swords, biophysicist at
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the tr ...
, prominent ufologist for the
Center for UFO Studies.
See also
*
Hermann Oberth (physicist, rocketry pioneer)
*
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ufologists
UFO-related lists