Nuno F. G. Loureiro, a distinguished 47-year-old Portuguese physicist and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was fatally shot multiple times at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home on the evening of December 15, 2025.
The incident occurred inside his apartment building on Gibbs Street, where police responded to reports of gunshots between 8:30 and 9 p.m., discovering him with severe wounds in the foyer area. Despite rapid transport to a Boston hospital, he succumbed to his injuries early on December 16, prompting an active homicide investigation by Massachusetts authorities with no suspects in custody.
Loureiro, born in 1977 in Viseu, Portugal, to a Sephardic Jewish family, pursued an illustrious academic path that began with a physics degree from Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon in 2000. He earned his PhD from Imperial College London in 2005, followed by postdoctoral research at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, before serving as a researcher at the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion in Lisbon.
Joining MIT in 2016 as a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics, he advanced to deputy director and then full director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024, specializing in plasma turbulence and magnetic reconnection through theoretical and computational methods.
His professional achievements included receiving the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in January 2025 from President Joe Biden, recognizing his transformative contributions to fusion energy research. Loureiro’s work focused on nonlinear plasma dynamics, earning him acclaim as a mentor and leader admired for articulate compassion and innovative approaches to clean energy challenges.
In his personal life, Loureiro was a devoted husband and father to a young family, residing in the affluent Brookline suburb where neighbors described a household with children attending local schools. He balanced demanding research with familial priorities, maintaining privacy while fostering a supportive home environment that reflected his grounded and caring nature. This lifestyle emphasized intellectual pursuit alongside relational depth in a community known for academic excellence.
The Brookline and MIT communities reel from this shocking homicide, with increased patrols in the neighborhood and campus support services extended to affected students and colleagues. Authorities have ruled out connections to other recent incidents, focusing on a thorough probe into the circumstances of the shooting at his residence. The absence of arrests underscores the ongoing nature of the investigation in Norfolk County.
Nuno F. G. Loureiro lived a life well lived, marked by pioneering advancements in plasma physics, dedicated mentorship at MIT, and profound commitment to family amid his international scholarly journey from Portugal to Massachusetts. His legacy endures through groundbreaking fusion research, the inspired colleagues and students he guided, and the compassionate example he set in both professional and personal spheres.