David R. Saunders

David R. Saunders, American psychologist and UFO researcher, served as Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado and later Research Associate at the University of Chicago's Industrial Relations Center. Key figure in the 1966-1968 Condon Committee, the U.S. Air Force-funded University of Colorado UFO Project, where he created the pioneering UFOCAT database of over 106,000 UFO reports using his coding system, maintained with CUFOS until 1980. He exposed bias via a leaked memo from Edward Condon and Robert Low predetermining negative conclusions, leading to his firing for 'incompetence' alongside Dr. Levine; half the team resigned in protest. Authored 'UFOs? Yes! Where the Condon Committee Went Wrong' (1968, with R. Roger Harkins), critiquing ignored evidence for extraterrestrial origins and project flaws. Birth/death dates unknown; advanced UFO data analysis and challenged official debunking.