The family of Nuno Loureiro, a respected Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, who was tragically killed earlier this month, continues to receive an extraordinary outpouring of support from the community and friends.
Professor Loureiro was fatally shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on December 15, 2025, and died the following day at a local hospital.
As of December 24, 2025, a fundraising campaign established to support his family has raised approximately $355,282 toward a $400,000 goal, with contributions from more than 2,000 donors.
The fundraiser reflects widespread solidarity and compassion from colleagues, friends, and members of the academic and Portuguese-American communities.
Professor Loureiro is survived by his wife, Inês Dias, and their three young daughters, with whom he lived in Brookline. Organizers have expressed profound gratitude, noting that the overwhelming response is a testament to the deep personal and professional impact Loureiro had on so many lives.
Friends and colleagues have described Nuno Loureiro not only as a brilliant scientist and mentor but also as a deeply devoted family man whose greatest priority was the well-being and future of his children.
He was widely regarded as an exceptional scientist, educator, and leader. His death has prompted tributes from MIT leadership, fellow researchers, former students, and institutions across the United States, Portugal, and beyond.
Many have highlighted not only his pioneering scientific contributions but also his generosity, humility, and unwavering commitment to mentoring younger generations. Memorial gatherings and vigils have been held in his honor, celebrating a life dedicated to knowledge, service, and family.
Although the investigation remains ongoing, authorities have linked Loureiro’s killing to a broader fatal shooting incident that occurred earlier the same week at Brown University. Investigators have indicated that the suspect gunman, Cláudio Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national, the suspect killer in the Brown University case, also killed Professor Loureiro before later dying by suicide.
Donations to the GoFundMe campaign remain open for those wishing to support the Loureiro family during this profoundly difficult time. Organizers have emphasized that every contribution—large or small—represents an act of compassion and solidarity. Supporters are also encouraged to share messages of condolence and remembrance through appropriate channels as the community continues to honor Professor Loureiro’s legacy.
Professor Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, earned his degree in physics from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon, in 2000 and completed his Ph.D. in physics at Imperial College London in 2005. He went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in the United States and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in the United Kingdom.
From 2009 to 2015, Loureiro served as a researcher at IST Lisbon’s Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, where he led the Theory and Modelling Group. He joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty in 2016, was promoted to full professor in 2021, and in May 2024 was appointed Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center.
Born in Viseu, Portugal, Professor Loureiro was a Portuguese-born plasma physicist internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to fusion energy research. He was the recipient of numerous honors throughout his career, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2025, one of the highest distinctions bestowed on early-career scientists in the United States.
PAJ/Staff
