Professor Nuno Loureiro shot and killed in Brookline home
A homicide investigation is ongoing; a suspect is not in custody.
On the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 16, Nuno F. G. Loureiro, Professor of the Nuclear Science and Engineering and Physics Departments and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, died from injuries sustained in a shooting at his Brookline home the previous night. He was 47. No other individuals were hurt in the incident.
At the time of publication, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office is proceeding with a homicide investigation with assistance from Brookline and MIT Police. As of 4:39 P.M. on Dec. 16, authorities do not have a suspect in custody.
Professor Loureiro joined the Institute in 2016 from Portugal. According to his website, Loureiro’s research focused on investigating magnetized plasma dynamics using theoretical and computational methods. In May 2024, he was appointed the director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of the largest labs on campus. Loureiro received many honors, including the Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Excellence in Teaching from the School of Engineering in 2022 and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from former President Joe Biden in January 2025.
“Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving,” MIT spokeswoman Kimberly Allen wrote in a statement to The Tech. “Focused outreach and conversations are taking place within our community to offer care and support for those who knew Prof. Loureiro, and a message will be shared with our wider community,” she added.
Loureiro’s death comes amidst a spate of gun violence worldwide. Two undergraduates were killed and several others wounded in a mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday Dec. 13. The suspect in that case remains at large. At Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, fifteen were killed by gunmen motivated by ISIS during a Hanukkah celebration.
Loureiro is survived by his wife and family.
A comprehensive list of student support resources is accessible at https://doingwell.mit.edu/support/. MyLife Services is among the resources available to all others on campus who may feel affected, with more information at https://health.mit.edu/mit-mit/employees/employee-support-programs. Additional guidance for faculty and staff on supporting fellow community members in challenging times is at https://doingwell.mit.edu/facultyandstaff/.
Update at 9:05 A.M. Dec. 17: On the evening of Dec. 16, MIT community members were notified that MIT buildings will be put on ID card access through the rest of the final exam period and into the coming weekend “out of an abundance of caution and in light of recent events.”
Update at 4:39 P.M. Dec. 16: MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced Loureiro’s passing to the MIT community. Praising his work as an “imaginative scholar, gifted administrator and enthusiastic mentor,” Kornbluth wrote, “our hearts go out to his wife and their family and to his many devoted students, friends and colleagues.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Vivian Hir ’25 MEng ’26 and Sabine Chu ’26 contributed to reporting for this article.