Nuno Loureiro, 47, a longtime MIT professor and director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was found shot in his Brookline home and pronounced dead the following morning. Authorities are treating the death as a homicide; Massachusetts State Police are leading the investigation while MIT Police assist. Loureiro joined MIT in 2016 and specialized in the theory and computational simulation of nonlinear plasma dynamics.
MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro Found Shot in Brookline Home; Homicide Investigation Underway
Nuno Loureiro, professor and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. (Jake Belcher / MIT)
Nuno Loureiro, 47, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was found shot in his Brookline home Monday night and was pronounced dead Tuesday morning. Authorities are treating the death as a homicide, officials said.
Investigation
The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office described the case as an active and ongoing homicide investigation. Massachusetts State Police are leading the probe with assistance from the MIT Police Department.
Academic Career and Contributions
Loureiro served on the faculty in MIT's Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Department of Physics, and he directed the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. His research focused on the theory and computational simulation of nonlinear plasma dynamics. He joined MIT in 2016 after working at the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion at IST Lisbon.
"Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving," MIT said in a statement.
The university said it would not provide further comment while authorities continue their investigation. No suspects or motive have been announced.
Original reporting: NBC News.
