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==Early life and education==

==Early life and education==

Nuno Filipe Gomes Loureiro<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loureiro |first=Nuno Filipe Gomes |date=2005 |title=Studies of nonlinear tearing mode reconnection |url=https://library-search.imperial.ac.uk/permalink/44IMP_INST/mek6kh/alma995691234401591 |website=Imperial College London}}</ref> was born in [[Viseu]], a city in central [[Portugal]], in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-16 |title=Nuno Loureiro: Probing the world of plasmas |url=https://news.mit.edu/2018/nuno-loureiro-faculty-physics-1016 |access-date=2025-12-17 |work =MIT News |publisher= Massachusetts Institute of Technology |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/us/nuno-loureiro-mit-professor-shot |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=CNN |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Neal |title=MIT professor Nuno Loureiro killed in shooting at his Brookline, Massachusetts home |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/nuno-loureiro-brookline-shooting/ |access-date=December 16, 2025 |agency=CBS News |date=December 16, 2025}}</ref><ref name=”:0″ /> He studied physics at the [[Instituto Superior Técnico]] (IST) in [[Lisbon]], graduating in 2000 with an undergraduate and master’s degree.<ref name=”:0″>{{cite web |last1=Kornbluth |first1=Sally |date=December 16, 2025 |title=Professor Nuno Loureiro (1977–2025) |url=https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/professor-nuno-loureiro-1977-2025 |access-date=17 December 2025 |website=MIT Organization Chart |publisher=}}</ref> He attended [[Imperial College London]] and obtained a doctorate in physics in 2005, with a dissertation on [[tearing mode|tearing modes]] in plasma. His early research focused on [[magnetohydrodynamics]] and astrophysical plasmas.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Levenson |first1=Michael |title=M.I.T. Professor Is Fatally Shot in His Home |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/mit-professor-shot-brookline-nuno-loureiro.html |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=December 16, 2025}}</ref>

Nuno Filipe Gomes Loureiro<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loureiro |first=Nuno Filipe Gomes |date=2005 |title=Studies of nonlinear tearing mode reconnection |url=https://library-search.imperial.ac.uk/permalink/44IMP_INST/mek6kh/alma995691234401591 |website=Imperial College London}}</ref> was born in [[Viseu]], a city in central [[Portugal]], in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-16 |title=Nuno Loureiro: Probing the world of plasmas |url=https://news.mit.edu/2018/nuno-loureiro-faculty-physics-1016 |access-date=2025-12-17 |work =MIT News |publisher= Massachusetts Institute of Technology |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/us/nuno-loureiro-mit-professor-shot |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=CNN |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Neal |title=MIT professor Nuno Loureiro killed in shooting at his Brookline, Massachusetts home |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/nuno-loureiro-brookline-shooting/ |access-date=December 16, 2025 |agency=CBS News |date=December 16, 2025}}</ref><ref name=”:0″ /> He studied physics at the [[Instituto Superior Técnico]] (IST) in [[Lisbon]], graduating in 2000 with an undergraduate and master’s degree.<ref name=”:0″>{{cite web |last1=Kornbluth |first1=Sally |date=December 16, 2025 |title=Professor Nuno Loureiro (1977–2025) |url=https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/professor-nuno-loureiro-1977-2025 |access-date=17 December 2025 |website=MIT Organization Chart |publisher=}}</ref> He attended [[Imperial College London]] and obtained a doctorate in physics in 2005, with a dissertation on [[tearing mode|tearing modes]] in plasma. His early research focused on [[magnetohydrodynamics]] and astrophysical plasmas.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Levenson |first1=Michael |title=M.I.T. Professor Is Fatally Shot in His Home |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/mit-professor-shot-brookline-nuno-loureiro.html |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=December 16, 2025}}</ref>

==Career==

==Career==
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Loureiro was shot in the foyer of the apartment building<ref>{{cite news | work= Boston Globe|access-date= 19 December 2025| date= 17 December 2025| url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/17/metro/mit-professor-shooting-investigation/ | title= Colleagues and neighbors reel as investigation continues in Brookline killing of MIT professor|first1=Katarina|last1=Schmeiszer|first2=Brian|last2=MacQuarrie}}</ref> where he lived in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]], on the evening of 15 December 2025. He was transported to [[Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center]] in Boston with gunshot wounds, where he was pronounced dead early on 16 December. Authorities opened a [[homicide]] investigation that received widespread publicity.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saad |first1=Nardine |title=MIT professor from Portugal shot at home dies, police say |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly08y25688o |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=www.bbc.com |date=16 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=MIT professor killed in shooting at home |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mit-professor-killed-shooting-home-rcna249582 |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=NBC News |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation |url=https://apnews.com/article/mit-professor-shooting-massachusetts-portugal-3ab1e3e7e369de5cef90c7c911995dbb |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=AP News |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

Loureiro was shot in the foyer of the apartment building<ref>{{cite news | work= Boston Globe|access-date= 19 December 2025| date= 17 December 2025| url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/17/metro/mit-professor-shooting-investigation/ | title= Colleagues and neighbors reel as investigation continues in Brookline killing of MIT professor|first1=Katarina|last1=Schmeiszer|first2=Brian|last2=MacQuarrie}}</ref> where he lived in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]], on the evening of 15 December 2025. He was transported to [[Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center]] in Boston with gunshot wounds, where he was pronounced dead early on 16 December. Authorities opened a [[homicide]] investigation that received widespread publicity.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saad |first1=Nardine |title=MIT professor from Portugal shot at home dies, police say |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly08y25688o |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=www.bbc.com |date=16 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=MIT professor killed in shooting at home |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mit-professor-killed-shooting-home-rcna249582 |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=NBC News |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation |url=https://apnews.com/article/mit-professor-shooting-massachusetts-portugal-3ab1e3e7e369de5cef90c7c911995dbb |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=AP News |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

Shortly afterwards, Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Paulo Rangel]] announced his death to the [[Parliament of Portugal]]. The president of Portugal, [[Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa]], issued a statement calling his death “an irreplaceable loss for science”,<ref>{{cite news |title=Portuguese physicist Nuno Loureiro fatally shot in Brookline, Massachusetts |url=https://portuguese-american-journal.com/community-portuguese-physicist-nuno-loureiro-fatally-shot-in-brookline-massachusetts/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=Portuguese American Journal |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref> and the U.S. ambassador to Portugal released a statement with condolences.{{cn}} MIT president [[Sally Kornbluth]] published a message to the MIT community, and professors from across the university made public remarks regarding Loureiro’s life and work. A vigil was held by his home in Brookline.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Casey |first1=Michael |title=Shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro has police searching for a suspect |url=https://apnews.com/article/mit-shooting-nuno-fg-loureiro-portugal-f310824e354180816c33c9f40c0c5195 |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=AP News |date=17 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Loved ones grieve death of MIT professor shot in Brookline home |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/video/on-air/as-seen-on/loved-ones-grieve-death-of-mit-professor-shot-in-brookline-home/3863182/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=NBC Boston}}</ref>

Shortly afterwards, Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Paulo Rangel]] announced his death to the [[Parliament of Portugal]]. The president of Portugal, [[Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa]], issued a statement calling his death “an irreplaceable loss for science”,<ref>{{cite news |title=Portuguese physicist Nuno Loureiro fatally shot in Brookline, Massachusetts |url=https://portuguese-american-journal.com/community-portuguese-physicist-nuno-loureiro-fatally-shot-in-brookline-massachusetts/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=Portuguese American Journal |date=16 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref> and the U.S. ambassador to Portugal released a statement with condolences. MIT president [[Sally Kornbluth]] published a message to the MIT community, and professors from across the university made public remarks regarding Loureiro’s life and work. A vigil was held by his home in Brookline.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Casey |first1=Michael |title=Shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro has police searching for a suspect |url=https://apnews.com/article/mit-shooting-nuno-fg-loureiro-portugal-f310824e354180816c33c9f40c0c5195 |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=AP News |date=17 December 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Loved ones grieve death of MIT professor shot in Brookline home |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/video/on-air/as-seen-on/loved-ones-grieve-death-of-mit-professor-shot-in-brookline-home/3863182/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |work=NBC Boston}}</ref>

On December 18, authorities announced that they were investigating a link between Loureiro’s murder and the [[2025 Brown University shooting|shooting at Brown University three days prior]] that killed two and injured nine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/brown-university-shooting-suspect-mit-professor-link |title=Police investigate links between Brown shooting and killing of MIT professor |work=The Guardian|agency=AP|date=18 December 2025|access-date=18 December 2025}}</ref> Authorities confirmed the link later that day at a press conference announcing the suicide of the lone suspect in the Brown University shooting, Cláudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who had attended the Instituto Superior Técnico with Loureiro. Valente was removed from the university the year that Loureiro graduated.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Molot |first1=Clara |title=Police Identify Person of Interest in Brown–MIT Shootings |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/person-of-interest-arrested-in-brown-shooting |magazine=Vanity Fair |access-date=19 December 2025 |date=19 December 2025}}</ref>

On December 18, authorities announced that they were investigating a link between Loureiro’s murder and the [[2025 Brown University shooting|shooting at Brown University three days prior]] that killed two and injured nine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/brown-university-shooting-suspect-mit-professor-link |title=Police investigate links between Brown shooting and killing of MIT professor |work=The Guardian|agency=AP|date=18 December 2025|access-date=18 December 2025}}</ref> Authorities confirmed the link later that day at a press conference announcing the suicide of the lone suspect in the Brown University shooting, Cláudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who had attended the Instituto Superior Técnico with Loureiro. Valente was removed from the university the year that Loureiro graduated.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Molot |first1=Clara |title=Police Identify Person of Interest in Brown–MIT Shootings |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/person-of-interest-arrested-in-brown-shooting |magazine=Vanity Fair |access-date=19 December 2025 |date=19 December 2025}}</ref>

Latest revision as of 17:40, 19 December 2025

Portuguese plasma physicist (1977–2025)

Nuno Filipe Gomes Loureiro (c. 1977 – 16 December 2025) was a Portuguese plasma physicist. He was the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center from 2024 until his murder in 2025.

Early life and education

Nuno Filipe Gomes Loureiro[1] was born in Viseu, a city in central Portugal, in 1977.[2][3][4][5] He studied physics at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Lisbon, graduating in 2000 with an undergraduate and master’s degree.[5] He attended Imperial College London and obtained a doctorate in physics in 2005, with a dissertation on tearing modes in plasma. His early research focused on magnetohydrodynamics and astrophysical plasmas.[6]

Career

After graduating, Loureiro joined Princeton University as a postdoctoral researcher at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 2005. He left in 2007 to work at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, a laboratory under the UK Atomic Energy Authority, until 2009. He returned to Portugal as a researcher at the Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear at IST Lisbon for seven years.[7]

In 2016, Loureiro joined MIT as a professor and fusion scientist.[8] He studied magnetic reconnection and plasma turbulence using computational simulations and published widely in scientific journals.[9] He became a full professor of physics in 2021 with a joint appointment in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. Loureiro was affiliated with the MIT Energy Initiative and the MIT Kavli Institute, and was a member of the American Physical Society.[5][10]

In 2022, he became deputy director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, MIT’s largest lab, and was appointed full director in 2024. In January 2025, President Joe Biden presented Loureiro with the Presidential Early Career Award, the highest U.S. government honor for young scientists.[11]

Teaching

Loureiro was twice recognized with the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering PAI Outstanding Professor Award for teaching the courses “Intro to Plasma Physics” and “MHD Theory of Fusion Systems”.[7]

Personal life

He was married and had three children.[12][13]

Death

Loureiro was shot in the foyer of the apartment building[14] where he lived in Brookline, Massachusetts, on the evening of 15 December 2025. He was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston with gunshot wounds, where he was pronounced dead early on 16 December. Authorities opened a homicide investigation that received widespread publicity.[15][16][17]

Shortly afterwards, Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel announced his death to the Parliament of Portugal. The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, issued a statement calling his death “an irreplaceable loss for science”,[18] and the U.S. ambassador to Portugal released a statement with condolences.[6] MIT president Sally Kornbluth published a message to the MIT community, and professors from across the university made public remarks regarding Loureiro’s life and work. A vigil was held by his home in Brookline.[19][20]

On December 18, authorities announced that they were investigating a link between Loureiro’s murder and the shooting at Brown University three days prior that killed two and injured nine.[21] Authorities confirmed the link later that day at a press conference announcing the suicide of the lone suspect in the Brown University shooting, Cláudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who had attended the Instituto Superior Técnico with Loureiro. Valente was removed from the university the year that Loureiro graduated.[22]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Loureiro, Nuno Filipe Gomes (2005). “Studies of nonlinear tearing mode reconnection”. Imperial College London.
  2. ^ “Nuno Loureiro: Probing the world of plasmas”. MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  3. ^ “An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation”. CNN. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  4. ^ Riley, Neal (16 December 2025). “MIT professor Nuno Loureiro killed in shooting at his Brookline, Massachusetts home”. CBS News. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Kornbluth, Sally (16 December 2025). “Professor Nuno Loureiro (1977–2025)”. MIT Organization Chart. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b Levenson, Michael (16 December 2025). “M.I.T. Professor Is Fatally Shot in His Home”. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  7. ^ a b Winn, Zach (16 December 2025). “Nuno Loureiro, professor and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, dies at 47”. MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  8. ^ “Nuno F. Loureiro | MIT NSE”. nse.mit.edu. MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  9. ^ “Nuno F. G. Loureiro » MIT Physics”. MIT Physics. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  10. ^ “Nuno F. G. Loureiro”. MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  11. ^ “President Biden Honors Nearly 400 Federally Funded Early-Career Scientists | OSTP”. The White House. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  12. ^ de Jesus, André (16 December 2025). “Físico português que dirigia laboratório no MIT morto a tiro nos EUA” [Portuguese physicist who ran a laboratory at MIT shot dead in the US]. SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  13. ^ “Nuno Loureiro: MIT professor from Portugal shot at home dies, police say”. www.bbc.com. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  14. ^ Schmeiszer, Katarina; MacQuarrie, Brian (17 December 2025). “Colleagues and neighbors reel as investigation continues in Brookline killing of MIT professor”. Boston Globe. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  15. ^ Saad, Nardine (16 December 2025). “MIT professor from Portugal shot at home dies, police say”. www.bbc.com. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  16. ^ “MIT professor killed in shooting at home”. NBC News. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  17. ^ “An MIT professor was fatally shot at his home and police launched a homicide investigation”. AP News. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  18. ^ “Portuguese physicist Nuno Loureiro fatally shot in Brookline, Massachusetts”. Portuguese American Journal. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  19. ^ Casey, Michael (17 December 2025). “Shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro has police searching for a suspect”. AP News. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  20. ^ “Loved ones grieve death of MIT professor shot in Brookline home”. NBC Boston. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  21. ^ “Police investigate links between Brown shooting and killing of MIT professor”. The Guardian. AP. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  22. ^ Molot, Clara (19 December 2025). “Police Identify Person of Interest in Brown–MIT Shootings”. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  23. ^ “APS Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics recipients”. APS. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  24. ^ “Three MIT engineering faculty win 2017 NSF CAREER Awards”. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  25. ^ “20218 MIT Bose Fellows Grants to Support Research into Frontier Discovery”. MIT. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  26. ^ “School of Engineering Awards for 2022”. MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  27. ^ “Center for Nonlinear Studies: Stanislaw M. Ulam Distinguished Scholar award”. Los Alamos National Laboratory. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  28. ^ “PECASE Recipient | NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation”. www.nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. Retrieved 17 December 2025.

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