The still-unsolved shooting death of an acclaimed Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor this week has sent shockwaves through the campus and the broader fusion energy research community in which he was prominent.
Nuno Loureiro taught plasma physics at the elite university and led its Plasma Science and Fusion Center. The 47-year-old was shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, Monday and died at a nearby hospital the next day. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
Police have not identified a suspect in the homicide, which occurred two days after a shooting at another elite college, Brown University, in neighboring Rhode Island, left two dead and nine injured. Law enforcement is investigating possible connections between the Brown University shooting and Loureiro's homicide, sources tell CBS News.
"Nuno was not only a brilliant scientist, he was a brilliant person," colleague Dennis Whyte said in an obituary published Tuesday by MIT. "He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner. His loss is immeasurable to our community at the PSFC, NSE and MIT, and around the entire fusion and plasma research world."
The obituary described Loureiro as "a lauded theoretical physicist and fusion scientist," whose "research addressed complex problems lurking at the center of fusion vacuum chambers and at the edges of the universe."
Sources tell CBS News that Loureiro wasn't working on anything classified, as there's no classified work being performed on campus.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth wrote in a letter to students and faculty that "in the face of this shocking loss, our hearts go out to his wife and their family and to his many devoted students, friends and colleagues."
A native of Portugal, whose résumé included stints at the Imperial College London and Princeton, Loureir "used a combination of analytical theory and state-of-the art simulations to investigate several topics in nonlinear plasma dynamics, particularly magnetic reconnection, turbulence and instabilities," according to his university biography.
His research led to widespread acclaim and prestigious awards that included the American Physical Society Thomas H. Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics Research and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Person of interest identified in deadly Brown University shooting
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Viruses aren’t all bad: In the ocean, some help fuel the food web – a new study shows how - 2Toddler diagnosed with cancer makes remarkable recovery after aggressive treatment
- 3Starbucks' new 'Bearista' cup is causing a stir — and is being listed on eBay for $600
- 4Why boosting production of Venezuela's 'very dense, very sloppy' oil could harm the environment
- 57 Heavenly Espressos, One Do You Like?
- Brazilian cardinal orders a popular Catholic priest to go offline following right-wing attacks
- The most effective method to Keep up with Proficient Handshakes in a Computerized World
- Why do people have baby teeth and adult teeth?
- The German series proving subtitles can be sexy — and wildly addictive
- Nations for Youngsters to Visit
- More loons are filling Maine's lakes with their ghostlike calls
- Vaccine exemptions for religious or personal beliefs are rising across the U.S.
- Ocean side Objections: Staggering Waterfront Breaks
- CDC vaccine panel delays vote to stop recommending hepatitis B shot at birth
