Jacques Vallée

Biography

Jacques Fabrice Vallée was born on September 24, 1939, in Pontoise, France. He is a French-American astronomer, computer scientist, venture capitalist, and one of the most influential figures in the scientific study of unidentified aerial phenomena. - Bachelor's degree in mathematics from the Sorbonne - Master's degree in astrophysics from Lille University - Doctorate in computer science from Northwestern University (1967) Vallée began his scientific career at the Paris Observatory before relocating to the United States, where he made significant contributions to early computing and space research. - Co-developed the first computerized mapping of Mars for NASA in 1963 - Worked at SRI International's Augmentation Research Center under Douglas Engelbart - Contributed to the development of ARPANET, a direct precursor to the modern Internet Vallée's work in unidentified aerial phenomena research evolved significantly over his career. He initially supported the extraterrestrial hypothesis but later developed his influential interdimensional hypothesis, proposing that phenomena might represent contact with other dimensions rather than visits from distant planets. - Shifted from extraterrestrial to interdimensional theoretical frameworks - Connected modern UAP reports with historical folklore and religious experiences - Inspired the character Claude Lacombe, portrayed by François Truffaut in Steven Spielberg's *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977) Vallée has authored over two dozen books spanning UFO research and computer science: - *Passport to Magonia* (1969) — connected modern UFO reports with historical folklore - *The Invisible College* (1975) - *Dimensions* (1988) - *Forbidden Science* — multi-volume journal series Vallée remains active in the field as a member of the Sol Foundation's advisory board.