David Spergel

David Spergel (born 1961) is an American astrophysicist, President of the Simons Foundation and a professor emeritus at Princeton. He is best known for his work on the cosmic microwave background and on the WMAP satellite mission, which helped establish the standard model of modern cosmology. In 2022 he took over the chair of NASA's independent UAP study team and delivered the final report in September 2023 — a step that substantially raised the scientific credibility of UAP research.

• American astrophysicist, born 1961
• President of the Simons Foundation, Princeton professor emeritus
• Known for his work on the cosmic microwave background and the WMAP satellite mission
• Numerous awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship
• Chaired NASA's independent UAP study team from 2022
• Delivered the final report in September 2023; the panel named persistent stigma in UAP research as a central problem
• Contributions to the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and to the foundation of the standard model of cosmology

Spergel's significance for the UAP timeline is both symbolic and substantive: his reputation as a mainstream cosmologist unconnected to classical ufology gave the NASA panel an authority that could not have been generated from inside the community alone. That of all people a WMAP veteran names stigma as a research obstacle is one of the most important legitimising steps of recent years.