Born in Beit Hanan, Israel, on 26 February 1962, Abraham "Avi" Loeb grew up on a citrus farm and read existential philosophy during tractor rides. At eighteen he entered the elite Israeli Defense Forces Talpiot program, combining military training with intensive physics and mathematics studies while leading a research effort later funded by the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative.1
Academic Training
Loeb completed a BSc in physics and mathematics in 1983, an MSc in 1985, and a PhD in plasma physics in 1986 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His graduate work on electromagnetic propulsion pioneered alternatives to conventional explosives. The Institute for Advanced Study recruited him in 1988, where John Bahcall persuaded him to shift from plasma physics to theoretical astrophysics.12
Harvard Career
In 1993 Loeb joined Harvard as an assistant professor of astronomy, securing tenure three years later. He directed the Institute for Theory and Computation from 2007, chaired the Astronomy Department from 2011 to 2020, and founded the interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative in 2016. These roles positioned him to mentor a generation of cosmologists and to guide high-impact projects on first stars, reionization, and black-hole imaging.2
Interstellar Research
Loeb's calculations on cosmic dawn, dark ages 21-cm tomography, and gravitational microlensing of exoplanets are widely cited. In 2018 he proposed that 'Oumuamua's non-gravitational acceleration could reflect a light-sail architecture, challenging prevailing comet models and igniting rigorous debate.3
Galileo Project and Public Engagement
Since 2021 he has led the Galileo Project, deploying custom sensor arrays to obtain open, high-resolution data on aerial anomalies and interstellar visitors. Loeb also serves as science theory director for the Breakthrough Initiatives and writes best-selling books—Extraterrestrial (2021) and Interstellar (2023)—to widen public appreciation of evidence-driven searches for life beyond Earth.4