MIT mourns Nuno Loureiro, professor killed in shooting near university.
BROOKLINE, Mass. — A world-renowned MIT professor and fusion-energy physicist was fatally shot inside his home earlier this week, a violent act that has sent shockwaves through one of the nation’s most respected scientific communities.
Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, was a professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT and the director of the university’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. A leading voice in fusion-energy research, Loureiro was widely respected for his work on harnessing the power of the sun through fusion reactors. His ideas and models helped shape major fusion experiments in both the United States and Europe.
Loureiro was taken to a hospital Monday evening with what authorities described as apparent gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead Tuesday morning, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators are treating the case as a homicide.
Authorities have not identified a suspect, and the motive for the killing remains unclear.
The Brookline shooting came just two days after a separate attack at Brown University that left two people dead and nine others injured. While the two incidents occurred at prominent universities less than 50 miles apart, investigators in both cases are sharing information out of an abundance of caution.
At a news briefing Tuesday, Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office, said authorities do not believe the two attacks are connected.
