A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was fatally shot at his home in Brookline on Monday, police said.
Shortly after 8:30 p.m. police received several calls reporting gunshots in the area of Gibbs Street, and officers found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead Tuesday morning, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.
“Sadly, I can confirm that Professor Nuno Loureiro, who died early this morning, was a current MIT faculty member in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as the Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center,” MIT spokesperson Kimberly Allen said by email. “Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving. 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.”
Loureiro, a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics, was appointed director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024, according to the university’s website.
A theoretical physicist and fusion scientist, Loureiro joined MIT as a faculty member in 2016 and in 2022 became deputy director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of the university’s largest labs.
When Loureiro became the director, the center boasted more than 250 full-time researchers, staff members, and students working and studying in seven buildings with 250,000 square feet of lab space, according to MIT’s website.
In a statement, prosecutors said “this is an active and ongoing homicide investigation.”
“No further information is being released at this time,” they said.
This is a developing news story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.
