Nominate MLK Visiting Scholars for academic year 2026–2027

Dear colleagues,

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars Program is now accepting nominations for the 2026–2027 academic year. We encourage all of you to reach out through your networks and consider submitting a nomination.

One of the most meaningful ways that MIT honors the legacy of Dr. King is through the MLK Scholars program. For decades, MLK Scholars have been enriching the intellectual life of the Institute with their research and teaching, while building on their own scholarship and practice through engagement with our students and faculty.

The members of this year’s cohort of MLK Scholars demonstrate the depth and breadth of expertise that has been a hallmark of the program. The scholars include a journalist, a mathematician, a conservationist, an ecologist and science communicator, a philosopher, an artist and historian, and an economist and central banker. They are researchers, writers, educators, and practitioners, and during their time with us they will be hosting seminars and workshops, supporting student studio projects, conducting research, and much more.

Appointments as MLK Scholars are available in any academic unit at MIT; they will also be considered in medicine, law, public service, or any domain in which distinguished individuals can add to the intellectual life and sense of community at the Institute. MLK Scholars can be current faculty at other universities, or they can come from nonacademic organizations. MLK Scholar candidates must be nominated by an MIT faculty host. Nominations are submitted online through the host’s primary department, lab, or center.

Completed nominations, including all letters of endorsement, must be received by Friday, February 13, 2026. Decisions will be made by April.

If you have questions about this year’s nomination process, please write to mlkscholars@mit.edu.

Sincerely,

Anantha Chandrakasan
Provost

Paula Hammond
Executive Vice Provost