Amir Siraj

Early Career

Amir Siraj is a theoretical astrophysicist and emerging leader in interstellar object research. Born in 2000, he earned his A.B. and A.M. in Astrophysics from Harvard University (2022), while simultaneously pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance at the New England Conservatory. He was named to Forbes' 2021 30 Under 30 list at age 21, making him the youngest scientist in that year's Science cohort—an unusual recognition for someone still an undergraduate. His early academic work explored the detection of interstellar objects, asteroids, comets, planetary system formation, and techniques for identifying small black holes and evidence of technological civilizations.

The IM1 Interstellar Meteor Discovery and Analysis

Siraj gained prominence as co-author of a 2019 paper confirming that the meteor detected on January 8, 2014 (CNEOS 2014-01-08, or "IM1") originated from an unbound hyperbolic orbit with 99.999% confidence—the first recognized interstellar meteor confirmed by mainstream astronomy. The U.S. Department of Defense independently verified this conclusion in 2022. In June 2023, Siraj led a $1.5 million seafloor expedition (funded by Charles Hoskinson) to the impact site 85 km north of Manus Island in the Pacific Ocean, retrieving approximately 850 spherules ranging from 0.1 to 1.3 millimeters in diameter.

In September 2024, Siraj co-authored findings published in Chemical Geology revealing that IM1 spherules possess material properties radically different from terrestrial and meteoritic samples. The material strength was calculated at approximately 194 MPa ambient ram pressure during disintegration—about 20 times stronger than typical stony meteorites and twice as strong as iron meteorites. These results raised questions about the origin and composition of the recovered fragments, potentially indicating technological or artificially processed materials.

Current Role and Impact

Siraj is currently Director of Interstellar Object Studies for The Galileo Project at Harvard University, while pursuing his Ph.D. at Princeton (expected 2028) and serving as a fellow at the Harvard College Observatory. His work bridges conventional astronomy with serious scientific investigation of potential extraterrestrial technological signatures embedded in interstellar objects. By treating interstellar materials as a legitimate scientific frontier, Siraj helps legitimize and professionalize the study of potential NHI (non-human intelligence) artifacts using rigorous analytical methods—connecting systematic UAP research with astrophysics and planetary science.