Nuno Loureiro, a Jewish nuclear scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was shot dead inside his home in the town of Brookline near Boston, US law enforcement authorities said on Tuesday.
Loureiro was found critically wounded by gunfire inside his residence and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the early morning hours. He was shot several times, according to information released by authorities.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said the circumstances surrounding the shooting are still being examined and that no additional details have been released regarding a suspect or a possible motive. The investigation is ongoing.
Loureiro at MIT
Loureiro joined MIT’s faculty in 2016 and was appointed director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024.
He was regarded as a respected researcher in the field of magnetized plasma dynamics, with expertise in phenomena such as solar storms and the potential development of clean fusion energy, a field widely seen as central to efforts to address climate change.