A respected Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor and internationally known fusion scientist has died after being shot multiple times inside his home, authorities confirmed, prompting an active homicide investigation and an outpouring of grief from the global scientific community.

Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics at MIT, was shot late Monday evening at his apartment in Brookline, a suburb near Boston. Police responded to reports of gunfire at around 8:30pm local time.

Loureiro was transported by ambulance to a Boston hospital, where he died early Tuesday morning, according to Brookline police and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

“This is an active and ongoing homicide investigation,” the district attorney’s office said, adding that no suspects are currently in custody.

Neighbours report hearing gunshots

CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, reported that a neighbour heard “three loud bangs” on Monday night and initially thought someone was forcing entry into an apartment.

Anne Greenwald, a long-time resident of the building, told CBS that Loureiro had a young family and that children from the household attended a nearby school.

A 22-year-old Boston University student living nearby told The Boston Globe she also heard three loud noises and feared they were gunshots. “I had never heard anything so loud,” she said. “It’s difficult to grasp. It just seems like it keeps happening.”

MIT confirms death, offers support

MIT confirmed Loureiro’s death in a statement, expressing condolences to his family, students, and colleagues. The university said its police department is assisting Massachusetts State Police, who are leading the investigation.

“Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving,” an MIT spokesperson said.

The university added that “focused outreach and conversations” are underway within the MIT community to support those affected.

Loureiro joined MIT’s faculty in 2016 and was named director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Centre in 2024. The centre is one of MIT’s largest laboratories, with more than 250 researchers working across seven buildings.

His research focused on theoretical and computational simulations of nonlinear plasma dynamics, particularly magnetised plasma dynamics — the study of charged particles influenced by magnetic fields. His work earned multiple awards and was considered critical to advancing fusion energy.

According to MIT’s obituary, Loureiro addressed “complex problems lurking at the centre of fusion vacuum chambers and at the edges of the universe,” with the long-term goal of harnessing clean fusion power to combat climate change.

Academic journey from Portugal to MIT

Born and raised in Viseu, central Portugal, Loureiro earned a degree in physics from Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon in 2000 and completed his PhD at Imperial College London in 2005.

Before joining MIT, he was a researcher at the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion at IST Lisbon. He was married and widely regarded as both a gifted scientist and a compassionate mentor.

Dennis Whyte, the former director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Centre, described Loureiro as “a brilliant scientist and a brilliant person.”

“He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner,” Whyte said.

MIT physics department head Deepto Chakrabarty said Loureiro was a champion of plasma physics and that his recent work represented “a particularly exciting new scientific direction.”

MIT President Sally Kornbluth called his death a “shocking loss,” while US Ambassador to Portugal John J. Arrigo posted an online tribute honoring Loureiro’s leadership and contributions to science.

Community impact and broader context

Some of Loureiro’s students gathered outside his three-story brick apartment building on Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects, according to The Boston Globe.

The killing comes amid heightened concern over gun violence in the region. Police in Providence, Rhode Island, are still searching for the gunman responsible for a mass shooting at Brown University over the weekend that killed two students and injured nine others. The FBI said Tuesday there is no known connection between the two cases.

When he was appointed to lead MIT’s plasma science lab last year, Loureiro spoke about the broader mission of his work. “Fusion energy will change the course of human history,” he said. “MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems.”