Peter A. Sturrock was a British-American physicist who served as professor of applied physics at Stanford University from 1961 to 1998 and director of its Center for Space Science and Astrophysics from 1992 to 1998.
In 1997 he organized a workshop at the Pocantico Conference Center that examined physical evidence linked to UFO reports and issued a report calling for systematic scientific investigation of unexplained cases.
- Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University 1961–1998
- Founded and served as president of the Society for Scientific Exploration 1981–2001
- Directed 1997 Pocantico workshop on physical UFO evidence funded by Laurance Rockefeller
- Published workshop findings in Journal of Scientific Exploration 1998 and book The UFO Enigma 1999
- Died August 12 2024 in Palo Alto California at age 100
- United StatesNaturalized citizen 1963
- Stanford UniversityProfessor of Applied Physics 1961–1998
- Society for Scientific ExplorationFounder and president 1981–2001
- National Academy of SciencesArctowski Medal 1990
- American Astronomical SocietyHale Prize 1986; Solar Physics Division chair
Background
Peter Andrew Sturrock was born March 20 1924 in South Stifford England. He studied mathematics at St John’s College Cambridge entering in 1942 and earned a first in the Mathematical Tripos. During World War II he worked on radar research at the Telecommunications Research Establishment from 1943 to 1946. He received his PhD in astrophysics from Cambridge in 1951.
After early research positions at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington DC the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in England and CERN Sturrock joined Stanford University in 1955 as a research associate in the Microwave Laboratory. He was appointed professor of applied physics in 1961 and remained on the faculty until 1998. He also served as director of plasma research and helped establish the Center for Space Science and Astrophysics.
Sturrock’s primary research focused on plasma physics solar physics astrophysics and particle acceleration. He authored hundreds of papers and books including influential work on pulsars and solar flares. He received awards such as the Arctowski Medal from the National Academy of Sciences in 1990 and the Hale Prize from the American Astronomical Society.
In the early 1970s Sturrock developed an interest in UFO reports after hiring Jacques Vallee and reviewing the Condon Report. He concluded that some evidence suggested phenomena needing scientific attention rather than dismissal. In 1982 he founded the Society for Scientific Exploration to support rigorous study of anomalous phenomena and served as its first president until 2001.
Sturrock organized and directed the 1997 workshop held September 29 to October 4 at the Pocantico Conference Center in Tarrytown New York. Nine physical scientists reviewed presentations of physical evidence including photographs radar records electromagnetic effects and soil samples from eight investigators. The panel found no proof of extraterrestrial intelligence but stated that some cases could not be explained by known phenomena and deserved further study.
The workshop proceedings appeared in the Journal of Scientific Exploration in 1998. Sturrock later expanded the material into the 1999 book The UFO Enigma. The effort received funding from Laurance S. Rockefeller and drew media coverage but faced criticism from some scientists for engaging with the topic.
Sturrock continued academic work as emeritus professor after 1998 and remained active in the Society for Scientific Exploration. He published additional books on scientific inference and other topics into his later years. He maintained that scientists should approach unexplained reports with open but rigorous methods.
Sturrock died at his home in Palo Alto California on August 12 2024 at the age of 100. Obituaries from Stanford University and scientific societies highlighted his contributions to plasma and solar physics alongside his role in promoting scientific examination of anomalous phenomena.
Legacy
Peter A. Sturrock died August 12 2024 in Palo Alto California at age 100. His scientific papers on plasma physics solar physics and astrophysics continue to be cited and his 1997 workshop remains one of the few peer-reviewed scientific reviews of UFO physical evidence.
The Society for Scientific Exploration which he founded continues to publish the Journal of Scientific Exploration and host conferences on anomalous phenomena.
Last updated 25 October 2026