edwin-may
PERSON dossier

Edwin C. May

Physicist and director of SRI/SAIC Cognitive Sciences Program (Stargate successor to Puthoff); developed physicalist theory of psi

PERSON UAP Research GRAY TRACK EXOTIC Also: Edwin May, Ed May, Edwin C. May

01 Executive_Summary

Edwin C. May, Ph.D. is a nuclear physicist who directed the SRI/SAIC Cognitive Sciences Program (the Stargate remote viewing project) from 1985 to 1995, succeeding Hal Puthoff as project director. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Pittsburgh (1968) and began his career in low-energy experimental nuclear physics, making the first measurement of the singlet state of the deuteron (Physical Review Letters). He joined SRI's government-sponsored psi work in late 1975, became a full-time Senior Research Physicist in 1976 with Secret clearance, and rose to Program Manager of the Cognitive Sciences Program (1985-1990). When SRI closed the program in 1990, he relocated it to SAIC (1991-1995) with 20+ researchers. The STAR GATE program was closed by the US Government in 1995 after a CIA AIR review concluded it was not operationally useful. May disputed this conclusion. He later founded the Laboratories for Fundamental Research (LFR) and developed a physicalist theory of psi with precognition as a basic process.

03 Deep_Dive_Intelligence

Intelligence Summary: Edwin C. May

Node Identity: Edwin May is the nuclear physicist who succeeded Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI remote viewing program (later the Cognitive Sciences Program) and guided it through its SAIC phase until the Stargate program's closure in 1995.

Education and Physics Career:

  • Ph.D. Physics, University of Pittsburgh, 1968
  • Low Energy, Experimental Nuclear Physics
  • 10 papers in peer-reviewed physics literature
  • First measurement of singlet state of deuteron (Physical Review Letters)
  • Post-doc: UC Davis (cyclotron tests)

Parapsychology Career:

  • Late 1975: Joined SRI government-sponsored psi work
    • Charles Honorton (Maimonides Medical Center) — dream ESP experiments
    • Ingo Swann recommendation led to hiring as consultant by Puthoff
    • 1976: Full-time Senior Research Physicist, SRI; Secret clearance
  • 1979-1985: Senior Research Physicist, Psychoenergetics Program, SRI
  • 1985-1990: Program Manager, Cognitive Sciences Program, SRI
    • Succeeded Puthoff as project director (Puthoff resigned 1985; Targ left 1982)
    • Founded Cognitive Sciences Laboratory (CSL) at SRI
  • 1990: SRI closed; May secured funding via Washington DC trips
  • 1991-1995: Director, Cognitive Sciences Laboratory, SAIC
    • Founded SAIC; program relocated
    • 20+ full/part-time researchers
  • 1995: STAR GATE program closed by US Government
    • CIA AIR (American Institutes for Research) review — concluded not operationally useful
    • November 1995: ABC News Nightline face-off with Robert Gates (former CIA director)
  • 2000: Research declassified; published ground-breaking results

Later Career:

  • Laboratories for Fundamental Research (LFR)
  • International reputation for research rigor
  • Bletchley Park public talk (intelligence collection)
  • Presentations: Harvard, UCLA, UC Davis, Stanford, Edinburgh, Trinity Cambridge, Eotvos Budapest, Stockholm, Imperial College London, Moscow

Theoretical Work:

  • Physicalist theory of psi
  • Precognition as basic process underlying psychic functioning
  • Entropy and brain processing models (with Sonali Marwaha)

Evidence Calibration:

  • ESTABLISHED: PhD Pittsburgh 1968, nuclear physics career, SRI (1975-1990), SAIC (1991-1995), Stargate director
  • ESTABLISHED: CIA AIR 1995 closure, Nightline appearance
  • DISPUTED: Psi validity (CIA AIR concluded not operationally useful; May disputes)

04 Network_Linkage

Edwin May is the successor to Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI/SAIC remote viewing program, creating a direct institutional lineage. His nuclear physics background connects him to the conventional physics community. His leadership through the CIA AIR review and Stargate closure connects him to the intelligence community's evaluation of psychic phenomena. His Laboratories for Fundamental Research continues the research program post-government funding.

05 Related_Entities (3)

Hal Puthoff
person ←
Predecessor as SRI program director
Russell Targ
person ←
SRI remote viewing co-researcher
Ingo Swann
person ←
Recommended by Swann for SRI hiring

05b Related_Topics (2)

UAP Investigation
usa →
Personnel
usa → russia → china → israel → japan → uk → france → germany →

06 Research_Findings (1)

Finding

Expanded May profile: nuclear physics, SRI/SAIC Stargate director, CIA AIR 1995 closure, LFR

07 Key_Findings

  • ▸ Physicist; SRI/CIA Stargate Project director; parapsychology researcher.

08 Intelligence_Analysis

Physicist; SRI/CIA Stargate Project director; parapsychology researcher.

09 Timeline_Mentions (1)

2026

PURSUE declassification (2026): 334 UAP files at war.gov/UFO — transmedium, military engagement, nuclear facility thread, 1.7B hits

Largest UAP declassification ever. 334 files. Transmedium, Lake Huron engagement, copper powder residue, orbs chasing jets, nuclear facilities (1949-2015), DOE involvement.

uap-research
View Full Timeline → View on Network Graph →

10 FAQ

Who is Edwin C. May? ▾
Identity: Edwin May is the nuclear physicist who succeeded Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI remote viewing program (later the Cognitive Sciences Program) and guided it through its SAIC phase until the Stargate program's closure in 1995.
What role does Edwin C. May play in the research network? ▾
Edwin C. May is classified under the "UAP Research" category, serving as Physicist and director of SRI/SAIC Cognitive Sciences Program (Stargate successor to Puthoff); developed physicalist theory of psi, belonging to the GRAY_TRACK_EXOTIC vertical group. Edwin May is the successor to Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI/SAIC remote viewing program, creating a direct institutional lineage. His nuclear physics background connects him to the...
What evidence supports the Edwin C. May assessment? ▾
The intelligence assessment for Edwin C. May is supported by 1 primary source and 1 research finding. Key sources include "Edwin May - Wikipedia". These documents provide the evidentiary basis for the analysis.
How does Edwin C. May connect to other entities in the network? ▾
Edwin C. May is connected to 3 entities in the intelligence network, including Hal Puthoff (person), Russell Targ (person), and Ingo Swann (person). Key relationships: Hal Puthoff: Predecessor as SRI program director, Russell Targ: SRI remote viewing co-researcher, ; Ingo Swann: Recommended by Swann for SRI hiring. Edwin May is the successor to Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI/SAIC remote viewing program, creating a direct institutional lineage. His nuclear physics background connects him to the...
What is Edwin C. May's background and expertise? ▾
Identity: Edwin May is the nuclear physicist who succeeded Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI remote viewing program (later the Cognitive Sciences Program) and guided it through its SAIC phase until the Stargate program's closure in 1995.
What research is Edwin C. May associated with? ▾
Edwin C. May is documented in 1 source document, including "Edwin May - Wikipedia".
What research findings mention Edwin C. May? ▾
Edwin C. May appears in 1 research analysis document, including "J. Allen Hynek + Edwin May + James Lacatski + Joe Firmage (detailed)". Expanded May profile: nuclear physics, SRI/SAIC Stargate director, CIA AIR 1995 closure, LFR
How does Edwin C. May fit into the broader intelligence network? ▾
Edwin May is the successor to Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI/SAIC remote viewing program, creating a direct institutional lineage. His nuclear physics background connects him to the conventional physics community. His leadership through the CIA AIR review and Stargate closure connects him to the intelligence community's evaluation of psychic phenomena. His Laboratories for Fundamental...
What are the alternative names or aliases for Edwin C. May? ▾
Edwin C. May is also known as: Edwin May, Ed May, and Edwin C. May. These alternative names appear across different source documents and may reflect codenames, abbreviations, or historical references.
What external sources document Edwin C. May? ▾
Edwin C. May is documented by 1 external source, including 1 encyclopedia. Notable references include "Edwin May - Wikipedia".
Why is Edwin C. May considered classified or significant? ▾
Identity: Edwin May is the nuclear physicist who succeeded Hal Puthoff as director of the SRI remote viewing program (later the Cognitive Sciences Program) and guided it through its SAIC phase until the Stargate program's closure in 1995.
What is the historical timeline for Edwin C. May? ▾
Edwin C. May is referenced across documents spanning 1968–2000, with activity noted in 1968, 1975, and 1976. This temporal range is derived from the primary source documents in the research archive.

Verified_Primary_Sources 1 SOURCES

secondary wikipedia.org encyclopedia
Edwin May - Wikipedia
External Link ↗
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ID: edwin-may
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Last updated: Research database snapshot