Adam Frank is an American astrophysicist, author, and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester. Trained in theoretical physics, he built his academic career studying star formation, stellar evolution, and the behavior of matter around young stars. He has also written extensively for general audiences about cosmology, climate, and humanity’s place in the universe.

Frank’s path as a public scientist developed alongside his academic work. He has written books about the relationship between science and spiritual experience, the long-term future of civilization, and the climate pressures that may confront any energy-intensive society. Essays, lectures, and media appearances have made him a translator between specialist astronomy and a wider audience interested in whether intelligence is common, rare, or capable of surviving its own technological adolescence.

Frank’s recent research has helped move the search for extraterrestrial intelligence toward the study of technosignatures: observable effects that an advanced civilization could leave in planetary atmospheres, energy use, or other astronomical data. Working with collaborators, he has used exoplanet statistics and models of civilization-scale energy consumption to ask how often technological societies might arise and whether their development can remain environmentally sustainable. That work places him near the scientific edge of UAP discussion without making him a UFO investigator.

Frank’s public work draws a firm line between the scientific search for life and claims that non-human visitors have reached Earth. He treats other civilizations as a legitimate astronomical possibility while arguing that anomalous-craft reports need measurements suitable for independent study. That distinction has made him an influential scientific voice in debates surrounding disclosure and the search for technological signatures beyond Earth.