Who's Who in UFology Today

Written by Francesca Black

Jerome Clark: Researcher and writer. He attended South Dakota State University and Minnesota State University, becoming interested in the UFO phenomenon in the 1960s. He initially embraced the interdimensional hypothesis to explain UFOs, but then turned to Extraterrestrial Hypothesis as the best explanation. His focus is on UFO cases with multiple witnesses, or those which leave physical evidence. He is an active board member of CUFOS, and has served as the editor of the CUFOS journal, as well as The Journal for UFO Studies. In the 1990s he published a massive three volume UFO Encyclopedia, which earned him the 1998 Benjamin Franklin Award in the Science category. He has written and co-written several books on UFOs.

Stanton T. Friedman: Nuclear Physicist. He received his BS and MS from University of Chicago, and worked for 14 years on advanced, classified projects such as nuclear aircraft, fission and fusion rockets, and nuclear power plants for space. He is possibly the best-known UFO lecturer in North America, having been the first promoter of the Roswell incident, and the most significant voice of the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis. His written testimony has been used in Congressional hearings, and he has appeared before the UN twice. He has published two books covering his work with the MJ-12 documents and the Roswell incident.

Richard F. Haines, Ph.D.: Research Scientist for NASA from 1967-1988. He received his MA and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Michigan State University. He investigated aviation accidents and incidents for FAA, NTSB, and attorneys. For 37 years he has specialized in pilot sightings, amassing more than 3,000 reports. Other special interests include analysis of photographic evidence and data on Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind. He has written two books and numerous UFO articles.

Bernard Haisch, Ph.D.: Astrophysicist and President of Digital Universe Foundation; Chief Science Officer for ManyOne Networks, Inc; Director of California Institute for Physics and Astrophysics; and editor of numerous scientific journals. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Self-described as a "UFO skeptic, standing somewhere between the majority rejectionist view of mainstream scientific community and the majority accepting view of the general public," Haisch advocates personal research of phenomenon while suspending judgment.

James A. Harder, Ph.D.: Professor of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering and Professor Emeritus at University of California at Berkeley. Harder received his BS at Caltech, and his MS and Ph.D. at University of California in Berkeley. From 1969-1982 he was the director of research for Aerial Phenomena Research Organization, one of the first civilian organizations to study UFOs. He was the primary investigator on a number of classical UFO cases, mainly related to alien abductions. He is a strong advocate of the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis and the government cover-up theories.

John Keel: Parapsychologist and Journalist. Keel is best-known for his ideas that there is a direct relationship between UFOs and psychic phenomena and demonology. He is one of the most widely read and influential UFologists since the early 1970s. His 1967 book, The Mothman Prophesies-about a strange winged creature reportedly seen in West Virginia by numerous witnesses-was loosely adapted into a 2002 blockbuster.

Bruce Maccabbee, Ph.D.: Optical Physicist. He received his BS in physics from Worcester Polytechnical Institute, and his MA and Ph.D. at American University in Washington DC. He has been active in UFO research since the 1960s, when he joined NICAP. After its demise he joined MUFON and is now state director for Maryland. He was instrumental in establishing the Fund for UFO Research. He is the author and co-author of numerous technical articles and books.

John E. Mack, Ph.D.: Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Pulitzer-prize winning biographer. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School after his undergraduate years at Oberlin. He graduated from the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and was Board certified in child and adult psychoanalysis. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard until his untimely death in a car accident in 2004. (We include him in this article of contemporary UFologists, since his work is relevant today.) Mack's clinical work focused on the exploration of dreams, nightmares, and teen suicide. In 1990 he published his research on alien abduction encounters, concluding, "There is compelling powerful phenomenon here that I can't account for any other way, that's mysterious?it seems to me that it invites deeper, further inquiry."

Peter A Sturrock, Ph.D.: British Scientist. He studied mathematics at Cambridge University where he earned his Ph.D. Much of his career has been devoted to electron physics, particle accelerators, plasma physics, solar physics, astrophysics, and scientific interference. He was appointed professor of applied physics at Stanford University, where he is now professor emeritus. Gaining interest in UFology, and curious about the general attitudes toward the field, Sturrock conducted two major surveys involving more than 2,500 scientists. Upon learning that a majority of scientists favored better research of UFOs, Sturrock helped establish the Society of Scientific Exploration to provide a forum for the subject. His studies have since been published.

Jacques Vallee, Ph.D.: French-born Computer Scientist and Astronomer. After receiving his BS in Mathematics and his MS in Physics, he came to the US 1962 and began working in astronomy at the University of Texas. He worked at MacDonald Observatory on NASA's first project making a detailed informational map of Mars. He then received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Northwestern University, where he was a student of renowned UFologist, J. Allen Hynek. Initially he promoted the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis, but later modified it, introducing the Multidimensional Visitation Hypothesis. His exploration of the commonalities between UFOs, cults, religious movements, angels, ghosts, cryptid sightings, and psychic phenomena contributed to his change in ideas. He was the model for the UFO researcher in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and served as a consultant on the set. He has authored numerous books and articles on various subjects, including UFOs.