'Explain why before how': Haryana's Judo kid goes from Hisar to Harvard, now advising White House on UAPs

Growing up in Haryana, Dr Devesh Nandal was expected to follow in his family's sporting footsteps. His father was among India's most accomplished Judo coaches, producing Olympians and Asian Games medallists, while his mother represented her university at the national level in hockey.

But the 37-year-old from Hisar found himself drawn not to the mat, but to the stars.

Today, the Harvard & Smithsonian astrophysicist has been appointed to the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Science Advisory Council, an expert body led by Harvard professor Avi Loeb that provides scientific advice on unexplained aerial observations to US government agencies, including the White House, the Pentagon, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

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Speaking to Firstpost, Dr Nandal reflected on his journey from Haryana to Harvard, his fascination with astronomy, and why India must invest more in fundamental sciences.

'My true passion has always been stars'

Although Judo dominated his childhood, Nandal says science had captured his imagination from an early age.

"I enjoyed every minute of Judo, but my true passion since childhood has always been stars," he said.

He recalls spending nights in his parents' villages where the dark skies revealed countless stars, sparking questions that would eventually shape his career.

While Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein inspired him as a child, it was Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar whose work on stellar evolution convinced him to pursue astrophysics.

"His work on the Chandrasekhar limit and massive stars was what drove me to pursue this field," Nandal said.

Why Harvard?

After completing his schooling in Hisar, Nandal moved abroad for higher education.

He earned a bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Leeds before pursuing master's studies in Electrophysics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and ETH Zurich. He later completed his PhD in astrophysics at the University of Geneva, where his research focused on the evolution of massive stars.

Subsequently, he received the VITA Origins Fellowship at the University of Virginia before securing the prestigious Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Fellowship, which he brought to Harvard.

"I chose Harvard because of its strong roots in astrophysics that go back hundreds of years. In my opinion, Harvard is one of the best places in the world to work in astrophysics," he said.

Interestingly, despite pursuing science at the highest level, Nandal says he never prepared for the IITs.

"My interests were more towards the fundamental physical laws of the Universe, and IIT never had a programme that could fuel my passion."

What will he do on the UAP Science Advisory Council?

Nandal's appointment comes amid renewed American interest in Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), the official term used for unexplained aerial observations that cannot immediately be identified as known aircraft or natural phenomena.

As part of the advisory council, he will contribute his expertise in astrophysics and numerical analysis to scientific assessments requested by multiple US government bodies.

"I will provide my expertise in numerical analysis and astrophysics to the scientific advisory council formed at the request of the executive branch, the ODNI, AARO, the White House, the FBI and the intelligence community," he told Firstpost.

Rather than searching for extraterrestrial life, he stresses that the council's work is rooted in rigorous scientific inquiry.

'We will rely solely on data and physics'

Public fascination with UFOs has surged in recent years, particularly after the US government released multiple reports and declassified videos related to unexplained aerial sightings.

However, Nandal insists the council approaches the issue without preconceived conclusions.

"Our work is motivated to find the truth behind the anomalous phenomenon," he said. "We will apply scientific methods grounded in physics and numerics to answer whether the UAP sightings are of terrestrial or extraterrestrial origin."

"We are looking at this without any bias or preconceived notion. We will solely rely on data and physics to solve this tantalising question."

He added that his own motivation stems from scientific curiosity rather than popular fascination with UFOs.

"My interests come from wanting to understand physics better."

His message to Indian students: Celebrate physics too

For Nandal, one of the biggest challenges facing India is the relatively limited emphasis placed on fundamental sciences compared with engineering and medicine.

"I find that a disproportionate emphasis is given to engineering and medicine, and barely any to fundamental sciences," he said.

While acknowledging the importance of both professions, he believes India's rich legacy in astronomy and astrophysics deserves renewed attention.

"We need to bring this interest and expertise back into the country."

He welcomed recent government efforts to promote scientific research but said sustained support would be essential.

According to him, students interested in physics often struggle to find opportunities, making it important for society to value careers in science as much as those in engineering or medicine.

Summing up his philosophy, Nandal offered a line that encapsulates his approach to science:

"Before we can answer the 'how', we first need to explain the 'why'. Only when we know why something happens can we begin to work on how."

For a boy who once trained on the Judo mat under one of India's finest coaches, that curiosity about the "why" has now taken him from the night skies of rural Haryana to one of the world's leading astrophysics institutions—and into a scientific advisory role connected to some of America's most closely watched investigations into unexplained aerial phenomena.