A leading physicist on the verge of revolutionising the global energy sector has been murdered at his home near Boston. Professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, was gunned down in the suburb of Brookline on Monday.
A Vision for Clean Energy Cut Short
Before his death, Professor Loureiro was spearheading groundbreaking research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). His team's work focused on plasma physics and fusion energy, a potential clean power source that mimics the sun's process. This technology promises 'baseload electricity' – a constant, reliable supply – using minimal fuel and producing no air pollution or climate-warming emissions.
A successful breakthrough in commercial fusion could dramatically reduce global dependence on oil, gas, and coal, particularly for power generation and transport. High-energy users like data centres could also transition to this green alternative. Loureiro himself noted on 8 December that the first nation to master this technology would gain an 'incredible advantage.'
Investigators Link Murder to University Shooting Suspect
Authorities believe the same alleged gunman responsible for a mass shooting at Brown University may have assassinated Professor Loureiro. Claudio Neves Valente is suspected of killing two students and wounding nine others at Brown on 13 December.
The connection was made by matching surveillance footage from both crime scenes, showing a suspect in identical clothing. This link was strengthened by license plate reader data and video from a car rental agency, tracking a grey Nissan Sentra with Florida plates allegedly used by Valente to travel between the locations.
It has emerged that Loureiro and Neves Valente both attended the same academic programme at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000. Loureiro graduated from the physics programme at Instituto Superior Técnico in 2000. Neves Valente, who entered the US on a student visa and gained permanent residency in September 2017, was dismissed from a position at Lisbon University in February 2000. His last known residence was in Miami.
An Immeasurable Loss for Science
Professor Loureiro, a respected physicist from Portugal, joined MIT in 2016 and rose to become a full professor by 2021. Last year, he was appointed director of the PSFC, one of MIT's largest labs with over 250 researchers. He specialised in theoretical physics, using mathematics and simulations to understand plasma behaviour under extreme conditions.
Under his leadership, the PSFC was collaborating with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to build SPARC, a compact fusion reactor in Massachusetts designed to produce energy, with operations slated for 2026. The team was also developing new projects, including a lab to test materials capable of withstanding the intense heat and radiation inside future fusion reactors.
Dennis Whyte, MIT's Hitachi America Professor of Engineering, stated: 'His loss is immeasurable to our community at the PSFC, NSE and MIT, and around the entire fusion and plasma research world.' MIT has highlighted that more than $8 billion has been invested in developing commercial fusion reactors, with Loureiro remarking just two weeks ago that the surge in venture capital funding would have been unthinkable a few years prior.
Authorities indicate Loureiro was the suspect's original target, though the alleged motive and the exact nature of their relationship remain unclear. Following the identification of the suspect, President Trump suspended the green card lottery programme that allowed Neves Valente to remain in the United States. The investigation is ongoing.
