Harold Puthoff
Harold E. Puthoff is a physicist who jointly led the remote-viewing research program at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) with Russell Targ [1]. His work established foundational methods in experimental parapsychology and bridged psi research with mainstream physics frameworks.
Career and background
Puthoff trained in laser physics and earned his PhD from Stanford University in 1967, then joined SRI in 1971 [1]. With Targ, he introduced the term “remote viewing” for the reported ability of subjects to describe distant locations blocked from ordinary perception [1]. The pair published the program’s early results in Nature and the Proceedings of the IEEE [1].
In 1985, Puthoff founded the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin, which he directs, and serves as President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of EarthTech International [1].
Research contributions
Remote viewing and information transmission
Puthoff and Targ developed quantitative methods to measure information transfer rates in remote-viewing experiments, treating anomalous cognition as a communication channel [2]. Their work examined whether subjects could transmit statistically significant information about distant targets under conditions of sensory attenuation [3]. They also observed EEG correlates between remote viewers and distant light-flash stimuli, which they interpreted as physiological evidence for anomalous signal detection [2].
Government-sponsored research
Puthoff played a central role in establishing and directing extensive government-funded parapsychology research. He and Targ co-founded the SRI remote-viewing program in 1972, which became the foundation for decades of U.S. government-sponsored anomalous-cognition research and secured sustained funding from multiple U.S. intelligence and defense agencies [2].
For a comprehensive overview of his career, research program, and the skeptical perspectives on his work, see Harold E. Puthoff, PhD.
References
- Puthoff, H., & Targ, R. (2015). Psychic Research and Modern Physics (Psychic Exploration). Psychic Exploration.
- Puthoff, H., & Targ, R. (1976). A Perceptual Channel for Information Transfer over Kilometer Distances: Historical Perspective and Recent Research. Proceedings of the IEEE.
- Targ, R., & Puthoff, H. (1974). Information transmission under conditions of sensory shielding. Nature, 251, 602–607. https://doi.org/10.1038/251602a0
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