OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
7:09 PM – Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Authorities have ramped up their search for the suspect in the recent homicide of Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old physics and nuclear science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Loureiro, who also served as director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot multiple times at his home in Brookline, a wealthy suburb near Boston, on Monday night. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries early on Tuesday morning.
Norfolk District Attorney’s Office report authorities have not disclosed a possible motive, and no suspects were in custody as of Wednesday.
An upstairs neighbor, Louise Cohen, recalled lighting a menorah candle on Monday night when three loud gunshots came from the floor below, per reports from The Boston Globe. Upon investigating the noise, Cohen discovered Loureiro lying on his back in the apartment building’s entrance and she immediately contacted 911.
Loureiro’s wife was there during the incident as well.
“I can’t sleep now,” Cohen said, in an interview with the Globe. “This family is so amazing. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.”
MIT hired Loureiro in 2016, and last year, he led the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of the largest laboratories at the school. The lab employs over 250 researchers working across seven buildings, and focuses on advancing clean energy technology and other research.
On Tuesday, a crowd of students gathered to mourn Loureiro’s death at his home in Brookline on Tuesday night.
“He was always very welcoming,” a student who knew him told the press. “I used to have trouble being on time back then, and he would always be very gracious and forgiving. He was very inviting. He was just a great guy, very respectful, very nice,” he added. “They’re just a great family, really, really great people.”
The professor grew up in Viseu, Portugal, before studying in Lisbon and earned a doctorate In London, according to the university. Before transferring to MIT, he worked at a nuclear fusion research institute in Lisbon.
“It’s not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanity’s biggest problems,” Loureiro reportedly said when he became head of the plasma lab. “Fusion energy will change the course of human history.”
He is survived by his wife, Ines, and their three children, who range in age from elementary school to college.
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