Police in Massachusetts are intensifying their search for a suspect following the fatal shooting of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a renowned physicist and fusion scientist, who was killed at his home in Brookline, just outside Boston.
Authorities said Loureiro, 47, was shot late Monday night inside his apartment. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died Tuesday, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. As of Wednesday afternoon, investigators said the homicide investigation remains active, and no suspects are in custody.
The killing has sent shockwaves through the academic community, coming just days after another deadly shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, where two students were killed and nine others injured. Law enforcement officials said there is no known connection between the two cases, and the FBI has not identified any link.
On Tuesday evening, dozens of neighbors, colleagues, and community members gathered outside Loureiro’s apartment building for a candlelight vigil. Residents were seen placing candles in their windows, while mourners stood quietly in the cold, many embracing one another in grief.
The shooting occurred during MIT’s winter break, and several students on campus said they were unfamiliar with Loureiro but were shaken by the news. A nearby resident told local media she heard multiple loud noises Monday night and feared they were gunshots.
Loureiro joined MIT in 2016 and was recently appointed director of the university’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of MIT’s largest research laboratories. He was widely respected for his work on fusion energy, a field many believe could transform global clean energy production.
Born in Viseu, Portugal, Loureiro studied in Lisbon before earning his doctorate in London. Before joining MIT, he conducted nuclear fusion research in Portugal. Colleagues described him as a compassionate leader and mentor whose impact extended far beyond the laboratory.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth called his death a “shocking loss,” while Portugal’s president issued a statement describing Loureiro’s killing as an “irreparable loss for science.”
Police have not released information about a possible motive and urged anyone with information to contact authorities as the investigation continues.