MIT professor's killing remains a mystery amid homicide investigation

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Authorities were moving Wednesday to uncover clues aft a salient prof astatine the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was fatally changeable astatine his location adjacent Boston.

Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, was shot Monday night astatine his location successful Brookline, Massachusetts. He died astatine a section infirmary connected Tuesday, the Norfolk territory attorney's bureau said, and authorities said they had launched a homicide investigation.

The prosecutor's bureau said nary suspects had been taken into custody arsenic of Tuesday and that its probe was ongoing. Authorities person not released immoderate accusation astir imaginable leads oregon a imaginable motive successful the killing.

Loureiro, who joined MIT successful 2016, was named past year to pb MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, wherever helium aimed to beforehand cleanable vigor exertion and different research. The center, 1 of the school's largest labs, had much than 250 radical moving crossed 7 buildings erstwhile helium took the helm.

"It's not hyperbole to accidental MIT is wherever you spell to find solutions to humanity's biggest problems," Loureiro said erstwhile helium was named to pb the plasma subject lab. "Fusion vigor volition alteration the people of quality history."

Loureiro, who was married, grew up successful Viseu, successful cardinal Portugal, and studied successful Lisbon earlier earning a doctorate successful London, according to MIT. He was a researcher astatine an institute for atomic fusion successful Lisbon earlier joining MIT, it said.

"Nuno was not lone a superb scientist, helium was a superb person," Dennis Whyte, an engineering prof who was the erstwhile caput of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, said successful an MIT obituary. "He shone a agleam airy arsenic a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague, and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner."

The president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, said successful a connection that Loureiro's decease was a "shocking loss."

The homicide probe successful Brookline comes arsenic constabulary successful Providence, Rhode Island, astir 50 miles away, proceed to hunt for the gunman who killed 2 students and injured 9 others astatine Brown University on Saturday. The FBI connected Tuesday said it knew of nary transportation betwixt the crimes.

A neighbour of Loureiro's who did not privation to beryllium identified told CBS News Boston helium heard "three large bangs" Monday evening.

"I thought astatine archetypal it was idiosyncratic successful our flat kicking successful a doorway oregon thing truthful I called the neighbors and they said nary they thought it was gunshots," helium said.

A 22-year-old pupil astatine Boston University who lives adjacent Loureiro's flat successful Brookline told The Boston Globe she besides heard 3 large noises Monday evening and feared it was gunfire. "I had ne'er heard thing truthful loud, truthful I assumed they were gunshots," Liv Schachner was quoted arsenic saying. "It's hard to grasp. It conscionable seems similar it keeps happening."

Anne Greenwald, who has lived successful the vicinity for 40 years, told CBS News Boston she and her hubby besides heard a sound that sounded similar gunshots. "He had a young family, they went to schoolhouse here," she said. "It's horrible, precise scary."

Some of Loureiro's students visited his home, an flat successful a three-story ceramic building, Tuesday day to wage their respects, the Globe reported.

A assemblage of radical holding candles stitchery extracurricular the location of Massachusetts Institute of Technology prof Nuno F.G. Loureiro successful Brookline, Massachusetts, Dec. 16, 2025.

MIT said Loureiro was known for his probe connected however plasma works, "particularly turbulence and the physics underpinning solar flares and different astronomical phenomena." He was besides studying however to harness clean "fusion power" to combat clime change.

"Professionally I'm wholly overwhelmed with what MIT is," helium said successful a 2017 interview. "You work astir it and you speech to radical astir it, but earlier you've experienced it, I don't deliberation you rather recognize the benignant of spot it is."

The U.S. ambassador to Portugal, John J. Arrigo, expressed his condolences successful an online station that honored Loureiro for his enactment and contributions to science.

"I widen my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Nuno Loureiro, who led MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center," Arrigo said successful a statement connected X. "We grant his life, his enactment successful science, and his enduring contributions."