Michael John Gorman appointed MIT Museum director

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael John Gorman as the Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director of the MIT Museum.

Michael John joins us with an impressive background in museums and academia and is poised to enhance our collective efforts in making the MIT Museum a beacon of innovation and public engagement, building on the work of former director John Durant, who stepped down in 2023 after 18 years of service.

In addition to heading the Naturkundemuseum Bayern/BIOTOPIA Lab, an innovative center focusing on life sciences and environmental issues, he is a tenured university professor at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.

Early in his academic career, Michael John spent the 1999–2000 academic year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Dibner Institute, formerly located at MIT.

MIT Museum Deputy Director Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch will serve as the museum’s interim director until Michael John takes up his post in the summer of 2024. Please join us in welcoming Michael John to our community and thanking Kathryn for her ongoing service to the Institute.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Barnhart
Provost

Philip S. Khoury
Vice Provost for the Arts