Nuno Loureiro — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Received the Presidential Early Career Award in January 2025, the highest U.S. government honor for young scientists.
Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center from 2024 until 2025.
Earned a doctorate in physics from Imperial College London in 2005.
Served as co-editor of the scientific journal, Journal of Plasma Physics, from 2024 until his death.
Twice recognized with the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering PAI Outstanding Professor Award.

Biography

Nuno Filipe Gomes Loureiro (1977–2025) was a Portuguese plasma physicist. Born in Viseu, Portugal, he graduated from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Lisbon in 2000 with undergraduate and master's degrees in physics. He continued his education at Imperial College London, where he obtained a doctorate in physics in 2005, with a dissertation on tearing modes in plasma. His early research focused on magnetohydrodynamics and astrophysical plasmas.