A 47-year-old MIT physicist was shot and killed in his Brookline apartment on Monday night, prompting a homicide investigation.
The Shooting
Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a fusion scientist and professor at MIT, was shot Monday night at his Brookline home. He died at a local hospital the following day, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.
The shooting occurred in an apartment located in a three-story brick building in Brookline, Massachusetts, near Boston.
Brookline police responded quickly to the scene and began a homicide investigation. The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office issued a statement confirming the death and the ongoing investigation.
No suspects have been taken into custody as of Tuesday afternoon, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Victim
Loureiro was 47 years old and married. He grew up in Viseu, central Portugal, studied in Lisbon, earned a doctorate in London, and worked at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT in 2016.
In 2023, he was named to lead MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, a position that involved overseeing research into fusion energy and clean technology.
When Loureiro assumed leadership, the Plasma Science and Fusion Center had more than 250 staff across seven buildings, making it one of MIT’s largest labs.
He was a respected professor and leader in the field of fusion science.
The Investigation
Authorities launched a homicide investigation on Tuesday. The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office confirmed that no suspects had been taken into custody as of Tuesday afternoon, and that the investigation remains ongoing.
The FBI released a statement on Tuesday clarifying that it had no knowledge of a link between the Brookline homicide and the Providence, Rhode Island, incident involving Brown University students.
The FBI statement clarified that the Brookline homicide and the Providence incident were unrelated.
Police in Providence, about 50 miles from Brookline, continue to search for the gunman who killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University on Saturday.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities looking for leads.
The Plasma Science and Fusion Center
The center’s research includes plasma physics, magnetic confinement, and energy solutions. The center focuses on clean-energy technology and other research.
Under Loureiro’s guidance, the center continued to push the boundaries of plasma physics and magnetic confinement research.
The center’s mission is to advance fusion energy research and other clean energy technologies.
Loureiro’s leadership aimed to further the center’s goals and foster collaboration among scientists.
Community and Institutional Response
Dennis Whyte, an engineering professor who previously led MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, told a campus publication that Loureiro “shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner.”
MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a statement that Loureiro’s death was a “shocking loss.”
MIT’s community mourned the loss of a respected professor and leader. Statements from faculty and students highlighted his impact.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office released a statement on Tuesday afternoon confirming Loureiro’s death and the ongoing investigation.
Related Incidents and FBI Statement
The FBI said it had no knowledge of a link between the Brookline homicide and the Providence incident.
The FBI statement clarified that the Brookline homicide and the Providence incident were unrelated.
Police in Providence continue to search for the gunman who killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University on Saturday.
Student Witness
Liv Schachner, a 22-year-old Boston University student living near Loureiro’s apartment in Brookline, told The Boston Globe that she heard three loud noises Monday evening and feared it was gunfire.
She said, “I had never heard anything so loud, so I assumed they were gunshots.”
She lives near his apartment in Brookline and was close to the scene.
Students Visit
Some of Loureiro’s students visited his apartment on Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects, the Globe reported.
Ambassador Condolences
The U.S. ambassador to Portugal, John J. Arrigo, expressed his condolences in an online post that honored Loureiro for his leadership and contributions to science.
John J. Arrigo honored Loureiro for his leadership and contributions to science.
Key Takeaways
- Nuno Loureiro, a 47-year-old MIT fusion scientist, was shot and died in Brookline, Massachusetts.
- No suspects have been taken into custody, and the investigation remains ongoing.
- The incident occurred amid a separate gun incident at Brown University in Providence, with the FBI stating no connection.
Closing
The shooting of MIT’s Nuno Loureiro has shocked the scientific community and highlighted the vulnerability of academic environments.
