#  Avi Loeb 

Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science

Former Director, Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC), (2007-2026)

Former Chair, Department of Astronomy, (2011-2020)

 

 

 



   ![Avi Loeb 2025](/sites/g/files/omnuum8321/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2025-07/Avi%20Loeb%202025%20ITC%20Portrait.jpeg?itok=sD6KP6gH) 

 



 

 location\_on Center for Astrophysics60 Garden Street, MS-51Cambridge, MA, 02138 

 smartphone [(617) 496-6808](<tel:(617) 496-6808>) 

 email <aloeb@cfa.harvard.edu> 

 laptop\_windows [Professor Avi Loeb's Website](https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/) 

 laptop\_windows [Avi Loeb's Publications (Astro-ph)](http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Loeb/0/1/0/all/0/1) 

 

 



 

Avi Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at [Harvard University.](http://www.harvard.edu/) He is the Former Chair (2011-2020) of the [Department of Astronomy](http://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/); Founding Director of Harvard's [Black Hole Initiative](https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/events/2016/BHC/); and a Former Director of the [Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC)](http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/itc/), (2007-2026).

He also chairs the Advisory Committee for the [Breakthrough Starshot Initiative](http://www.breakthroughinitiatives.org/Leaders/3/), serves as the Science Theory Director for all [Initiatives](http://www.breakthroughinitiatives.org/) of the [Breakthrough Prize Foundation](http://www.breakthroughprize.org/), and holds the Sackler Senior Professorship by Special Appointment at [Tel Aviv University](https://english.tau.ac.il/). He is an elected fellow of the [American Academy of Arts &amp; Sciences](http://www.amacad.org/news/alphalist2012.pdf), the [American Physical Society](http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/), and the [International Academy of Astronautics](http://www.iaaweb.org/), as well as Vice Chair of the [Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies](http://sites.nationalacademies.org/BPA/BPA_048420). Within Harvard, Loeb serves on the President's Task Force on Diversity and Belonging, the [Provost's Allston Academic Planning Committee](http://provost.harvard.edu/files/provost/files/Allston_Academic_Planning_Advisory_Committee.pdf), and the [FAS Dean's Faculty Resources Advisory Committee](http://www.fas.harvard.edu/advisory-committees).



 

 

 





 

 

- ## People Role
    
     [Senior ITC Members](/people-role/senior-itc-members)
- ## Research Area
    
     [Cosmology](/research-area/cosmology) [Gravity](/research-area/gravity) [High Energy Astrophysics](/research-area/high-energy-astrophysics) [Planetary Astronomy](/research-area/planetary-astronomy)