Professor Nuno Loureiro (1977–2025)
Dear members of the MIT community,
With great sadness, I write to share the tragic news that Professor Nuno Loureiro, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), died early this morning from gunshot wounds he sustained a few hours before. In the face of this shocking loss, our hearts go out to his wife and their family and to his many devoted students, friends and colleagues.
The circumstances of his death are under police investigation, so no further details are available. Please know, however, that we are reaching out to support those in our community who were closest to him.
About Professor Loureiro
Born and raised in a small city in central Portugal, Nuno saw his path early on. As he explained in this 2018 profile on MIT News, even as a little boy, when “everyone else wanted to be a policeman or a fireman,” he already aspired to be a scientist.
He pursued that dream in Lisbon, with an undergraduate degree in physics at Instituto Superior Técnico, and then in London, with a PhD in physics from Imperial College, where he fell in love with plasma physics. Following postdoctoral work at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and at the UKAEA Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, in 2009 he returned to Portugal to become a principal investigator at IST Lisbon’s Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion.
In 2016, he joined MIT’s faculty, explaining that he was drawn to the opportunity not only to pursue research at the highest level but to work with superb students. In 2017, he was granted tenure.
A theoretical physicist and fusion scientist, Nuno had joint appointments in nuclear science and engineering and in physics. He was also associated with the MIT Energy Initiative and MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. Recently named the Herman Feshbach (1942) Professor of Physics, he was an expert on a fundamental plasma process called magnetic reconnection, as well as on magnetic field generation and amplification, confinement and transport in fusion plasmas and turbulence in strongly magnetized, weakly collisional plasmas.
Having quickly become known as an imaginative scholar, gifted administrator and enthusiastic mentor, in 2022 Nuno became deputy director of the PSFC, one of MIT’s largest labs. In May 2024, he was chosen to lead it. His observations at the time speak to his character and passion:
“It’s not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems. Fusion is a hard problem, but it can be solved with resolve and ingenuity – characteristics that define MIT. Fusion energy will change the course of human history. It’s both humbling and exciting to be leading a research center that will play a key role in enabling that change.”
You can learn more about Nuno and his accomplishments from this obituary on MIT News.
Supporting each other
This shocking loss for our community comes in a period of disturbing violence in many other places. It’s entirely natural to feel the need for comfort and support. If you or anyone you know would like counsel or just a listening ear, I encourage you to make use of our many campus resources, listed below.
In time, the many communities Nuno belonged to will create opportunities to mourn his loss and celebrate his life.
With deepest sympathy,
Sally Kornbluth
Key Campus Support Resources
- DoingWell: Key support resources for the MIT community.
- Student Mental Health and Counseling Services: Working with students to identify, understand and solve problems, and to help transform that understanding into positive action.
- Student Support Services: An easily accessible hub of support for undergraduates.
- GradSupport and the Graduate Assistance Information Network offer a wide variety of resources to help grad students and families deal with the unexpected.
- Staff, faculty, postdocs, and their adult household members have free, confidential, 24/7 access to MIT MyLife Services. MyLife Services counselors provide 1:1 support in navigating emotional and mental health concerns, including grief and loss. If you need additional information or would like to speak with a counselor, please call 844-405-5433 or request a return call.