Nuno Loureiro is the new director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, succeeding Dennis Whyte. Loureiro will lead efforts in fusion energy research, plasma physics, and collaborations with partners like Eni, IBM, and Lawrence Livermore National Lab.
MIT anthropology professor Heather Paxson has been named associate dean for faculty of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), effective July 1.
Professor Kristala Prather, an expert in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology, has been named the new head of MIT's Department of Chemical Engineering.
Professor Steven Barrett, an expert in the environmental impacts of aviation, has been named head of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.