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List of institute professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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For a list of faculty at MIT, see List of Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty.

The title of Institute professor is an honor bestowed by the Faculty and Administration of MIT on a faculty colleague who has demonstrated exceptional distinction by a combination of leadership, accomplishment, and service in the scholarly, educational, and general intellectual life of the Institute or wider academic community.[1]

— MIT Policies and Procedures: Special Professorial Appointments, Institute Professor

Institute professor is the highest title that can be awarded to a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It is analogous to the titles of distinguished professor, university professor, or regents professor used at other universities in recognition of a professor's extraordinary research achievements and dedication to the school. At MIT, institute professors are granted a unique level of freedom and flexibility to pursue their research and teaching interests without regular departmental or school responsibilities; they report only to the provost.[1] Usually no more than twelve professors hold this distinction at any one time.[1]

Institute professors are initially nominated by leaders representing either a department or school. The chair of the faculty then consults with the Academic Council and jointly appoints with the president an ad-hoc committee from various departments and non-MIT members to evaluate the qualifications and make a documented recommendation to the president. The final determination is made based upon recommendations from professionals in the nominee's field. The case is then reviewed again by the Academic Council and approved by the executive committee of the MIT Corporation.[1] The position was created by President James R. Killian in 1951, and John C. Slater was the first to hold the title.[2]

List of institute professors[edit]

Current[edit]

Name Department Elected Notability Reference
Daron Acemoglu Economics 2019 Author of Why Nations Fail; John Bates Clark Medal (2005) [3]
Suzanne Berger Political Science 2019 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; chevalier of France's Legion of Honour (2009) [4]
Arup Chakraborty Chemical Engineering 2021 Fellow of all three United States National academies; founding director of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science [5]
Sallie W. Chisholm Civil and Environmental Engineering 2015 Discovery and biology of the Prochlorococcus marine cyanobacteria [6]
Ann Graybiel Brain and Cognitive Sciences 2008 Expert on the basal ganglia; National Medal of Science (2001) [7][8]
Paula T. Hammond Chemical Engineering 2021 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and all three United States National academies [5]
Robert S. Langer Chemical Engineering & Biological Engineering 2005 Drug delivery and tissue engineering; youngest person to be elected to all three United States National academies; Millennium Technology Prize (2008), National Medal of Science (2007), Draper Prize (2002), and Lemelson-MIT Prize (1998) [9]
Thomas Magnanti Mechanical Engineering 1997 Operations research; Dean of Engineering (1999–2007) [10]
Marcus Thompson Music and Theater Arts 2015 Artistic director of Boston Chamber Music Society [6]

Former[edit]

Name MIT department Current institution Elected Notability Reference
David Baltimore Biology Caltech 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1975) [11]

Emeritus[edit]

Name Department Elected Notability Reference
Emilio Bizzi Brain and Cognitive Sciences 2002 Motor control; President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2006–2009) [12]
Noam Chomsky Linguistics and Philosophy 1976 Generative grammar; Kyoto Prize (1988); political activist and one of the most widely cited scholars alive[13][14] [15]
John M. Deutch Chemistry 1990 Director of Central Intelligence (1995–1996); Deputy Secretary of Defense (1994–1995); Provost of MIT (1985–1990) [16][17]
Peter A. Diamond Economics 1997 Social Security reform; Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2010) [10]
Jerome I. Friedman Physics 1991 Quantum chromodynamics; Nobel Prize in Physics (1990) [18]
John Harbison Music and Theater Arts 1995 MacArthur Fellow (1989); Pulitzer Prize for Music (1987) for The Flight into Egypt [11]
Barbara Liskov Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 2008 Contributions to data abstraction and programming languages; Turing Award (2008) and John von Neumann Medal (2004) [19]
John D.C. Little Management Little's law and Branch and bound; contributions to

marketing and e-commerce

[20]
Ron Rivest Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 2015 Co-inventor of the RSA algorithm; founder of Verisign and RSA Security [6]
Phillip Sharp Biology 1999 RNA interference and splicing; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1993) [21]
Sheila Widnall Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering 1998 Secretary of the Air Force (1993–1997); first woman to chair the MIT faculty; first MIT alumna appointed to MIT engineering faculty [22]

Deceased[edit]

Name Department Elected Notability Reference
Mildred S. Dresselhaus Physics & Electrical Engineering 1985 Carbon nanotubes; National Medal of Science (1990) [23]
Murray Eden Electrical Engineering 1959-1994 Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program directors award [24][25]
Manson Benedict Nuclear Engineering 1969 National Medal of Science (1975) [26]
Joel Moses Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1999 Algebraic manipulation algorithms and MACSYMA; Provost of MIT (1995–1998); Dean of Engineering (1991–1995) [27]
Norbert Wiener Mathematics 1959 National Medal of Science (1964) [28]
Gordon S. Brown Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1973 Automatic feedback-control systems and computer numerical control; Dean of Engineering (1959–1968) [29]
Martin Julian Buerger Mineralogy 1956 Crystallography [30]
Morris Cohen Material Science and Engineering 1974 Metallurgy of steel [31]
Charles S. Draper Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1966 Inertial guidance and gyro gunsight; founder of the Instrumentation Laboratory [32]
Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1966 High-speed photography; Co-founder of EG&G; National Medal of Science (1973) [33]
Herman Feshbach Physics 1983 Nuclear reaction theory; National Medal of Science (1986) [34]
Edwin R. Gilliland Chemical Engineering 1971 Fractional distillation columns and fluidized catalytic cracking; President's Science Advisory Committee (1961–1965) [35]
Hermann Anton Haus Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1986 Optical communications; National Medal of Science (1995) [36]
Arthur von Hippel Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1962 Dielectric materials [37]
Arthur Thomas Ippen Civil Engineering 1970 Hydraulic engineering and water resources [38]
Roman O. Jakobson Linguistics and Philosophy Expert on Russian formalism, Slavic studies and linguistics [39]
György Kepes Architecture 1970 Founded the Center for Advanced Visual Studies; Bauhaus contributor; Hungarian Medal of Honor and Middle Cross (1996) [40]
Norman Levinson Mathematics 1971 Non-linear differential equations, mathematical analysis, and analytic number theory; testified at 1953 House Un-American Activities Committee [41][42]
Francis E. Low Physics Condensed matter physics; Provost of MIT (1980–1985) [43]
Franco Modigliani Economics & Management 1970 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1985) [44]
Mario Molina Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences 1997 Stratospheric ozone chemistry; Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1995) [10]
Philip Morrison Physics 1973 Theoretical astrophysics [45]
Walle J. H. Nauta Brain and Cognitive Sciences 1973 Nauta Silver Impregnation Method used to trace degenerating nerve fibers [46]
Walter A. Rosenblith Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1975 Psychoacoustics; elected to all three United States National academies; Provost of MIT (1971–1980) [47]
Bruno Rossi Physics 1966 X-ray astronomy and discovery of cosmic rays; Wolf Prize (1987) and National Medal of Science (1983) [48]
Paul Samuelson Economics 1966 National Medal of Science (1996), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1970), and John Bates Clark Medal (1947) [49]
Francis O. Schmitt Biology 1955 Biological electron microscopy [50]
Nevin S. Scrimshaw Nutrition and Food Science 1980 Eliminating nutritional deficiency; World Food Prize (1991) [51]
Ascher H. Shapiro Mechanical Engineering 1975 Fluid mechanics and biomedical engineering [52]
Isadore Singer Mathematics 1987 Atiyah–Singer index theorem; Abel Prize (2004) [53]
John C. Slater Physics 1951 Quantum theory and electromagnetic theory of microwaves; advisor to William Shockley [54]
Cyril S. Smith Materials Science & Humanities Metallurgy, crystallography, and metallography of archaeological artifacts [55]
Carl R. Soderberg Mechanical Engineering 1959 Steam turbine electric generators; Dean of Engineering (1954–1959); consultant on the J-57 turbojet [56]
Charles H. Townes Physics 1961 Quantum Electronics and Maser; National Medal of Science (1982) and Nobel Prize in Physics (1964) [57]
Daniel I.C. Wang Chemical Engineering 1995 Biochemical process engineering [11]
John S. Waugh Chemistry Computational studies of spin systems [58]
Victor Weisskopf Physics 1965 Co-founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Wolf Prize (1981) and National Medal of Science (1980) [41]
Jerome Wiesner Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 1980 Chairman of the President's Science Advisory Committee (1961–1964); Dean of Science (1964–1966); Provost of MIT (1966–1971); President of MIT (1971–1980) [59]
Jerrold R. Zacharias Nuclear Science and Engineering 1966 Atomic beams and clocks; microwave radar; educational reform [60]
Chia-Chiao Lin Mathematics 1966 Fluid mechanics [41][61]
Morris Halle Linguistics and Philosophy 1981 Phonology; Author of The Sound Pattern of English [62]
Robert M. Solow Economics 1973 National Medal of Science (1999), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1987), and John Bates Clark Medal (1961) [63]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "MIT Policies and Procedures: Special Professorial Appointments, Institute Professor". Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  2. ^ "Slater Takes New Post as Roving Physics Professor" (PDF). The Tech. September 18, 1951. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  3. ^ Dizikes, Peter (July 10, 2019). "Daron Acemoglu named Institute Professor". news.mit.edu. MIT News Office. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Suzanne Berger named inaugural John M. Deutch Institute Professor". MIT News Office. July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Paula Hammond and Arup Chakraborty named Institute Professors". MIT News Office. May 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Chisholm, Rivest, and Thompson appointed as new Institute Professors". Retrieved 2015-06-29.
  7. ^ "Ann Graybiel named institute professor". MIT News Office. November 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  8. ^ "MIT's Ann Graybiel awarded national medal of science". Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  9. ^ Elizabeth A. Thomson (March 2, 2005). "Bob Langer named an Institute Professor". MIT News Office. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Diamond, Magnanti and Molina are Institute Professors". MIT News Office. June 4, 1997. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Baltimore, Harbison, Wang elevated to ranks of Institute Professors". MIT News Office. June 7, 1995. Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  12. ^ Elizabeth A. Thomson (June 5, 2002). "Bizzi is named an Institute Professor". MIT News Office. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  13. ^ "Chomsky Is Citation Champ". MIT News Office. April 15, 1992. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  14. ^ "According to a recent survey by the Institute for Scientific Information, only Marx, Lenin, Shakespeare, Aristotle, the Bible, Plato, and Freud are cited more often in academic journals than Chomsky, who edges out Hegel and Cicero." Samuel Hughes, The Pennsylvania Gazette Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, July/August, 2001
  15. ^ "Chomsky Named Killian Lecturer". May 22, 1991. Archived from the original on 2004-11-25. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  16. ^ "John M. Deutch Biography". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  17. ^ "Deutch named Institute professor". December 7, 1990. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  18. ^ "Friedman Named Institute Professor". MIT News Office. May 29, 1991. Archived from the original on 2004-05-11. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  19. ^ "Barbara Liskov named Institute Professor". Retrieved 2008-07-01.
  20. ^ "MIT Sloan Faculty webpage". Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  21. ^ "Sharp named an Institute Professor". MIT News Office. March 10, 1999. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  22. ^ "Former Secretary of Air Force named Institute Professor by MIT". MIT News Office. December 1, 1998. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  23. ^ "MIT Physics Faculty". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  24. ^ Longtime Engineering Authority Eden Mourned, at NIH record, October 2, 2020
  25. ^ Casanova, Stephanie (2020-08-18). "Murray Eden, a biomedical engineer with a love of singing, dies in Tucson at 99". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  26. ^ "Manson Benedict, 98, chemist on Manhattan Project, dies". September 27, 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  27. ^ "Joel Moses, Institute Professor Emeritus and computer science trailblazer, dies at 80". MIT News Office. May 31, 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  28. ^ "Guide to the Papers of Norbert Wiener, dies at 69". March 18, 1964. Retrieved 2014-11-06.
  29. ^ "Gordon Brown, pioneer electrical engineer, educator at MIT, dies at 88". MIT News Office. August 26, 1996. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  30. ^ Azaroff, L. V. J. Appl. Crystallogr. (1986) 19, 205-207.
  31. ^ Sarah H. Wright (May 31, 2005). "Institute Professor Morris Cohen dies". MIT News Office. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  32. ^ "Dr. Draper & His Lab". Draper Labs. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  33. ^ "MIT Loses a Colorful, Beloved Professor". January 10, 1990. Archived from the original on 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  34. ^ "Renowned nuclear physicist Feshbach, Institute Professor emeritus, dies at 83". MIT News Office. January 10, 2001. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  35. ^ P.L. Thibaut Brian. "Memorial Tributes: National Academy of Engineering, Volume 1 (1979)". National Academies Press. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  36. ^ "Institute Professor Hermann Haus, quantum optics pioneer, dies at 77". MIT News Office. June 4, 2003. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  37. ^ "Institute Prof. von Hippel dies at 105; was leader in materials research". MIT News Office. January 14, 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  38. ^ Hunter Rouse. "Memorial Tributes: National Academy of Engineering, Volume 1 (1979)". National Academies Press. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  39. ^ Parpulova, Lyubomira D.; Gribble, Charles E.; Bailey, James O. (1984). "Obituary: Roman Jackobson (1896–1982)". Journal of American Folklore. 97 (383): 57–60. JSTOR 540396.
  40. ^ "Gyorgy Kepes, founder of CAVS, dies at 95". MIT News Office. January 16, 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b c "3 Institute Profs Selected" (PDF). September 21, 1973. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  42. ^ "Levinson biography". School of Mathematics and Statistics University of St Andrews, Scotland. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  43. ^ "Physicist Francis E. Low, former MIT provost, dies at 85". MIT News Office. February 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  44. ^ "Nobel laureate Franco Modigliani dies at 85". September 25, 2003. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  45. ^ "Institute Professor Philip Morrison dies at 89". MIT News Office. April 25, 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  46. ^ "Institute Professor Walle J.H. Nauta dies". MIT News Office. March 30, 1994. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  47. ^ "Retired MIT Professor Rosenblith dies at 88; Pioneered use of computers to study brain". MIT News Office. May 3, 2002. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  48. ^ "Dec. 15 memorial planned for Bruno Rossi". MIT News Office. December 1, 1993. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  49. ^ "Economist Paul Samuelson of MIT to Receive National Medal of Science". June 11, 1996. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  50. ^ "Institute Professor Francis O. Schmitt dies at 91". MIT News Office. October 4, 1995. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  51. ^ "Scrimshaw to Receive Food Prize". August 28, 1991. Archived from the original on September 11, 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  52. ^ "Bruno B. Rossi". MIT The Tech. November 23, 1993. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  53. ^ "MIT biography on Singer". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  54. ^ "John C. Slater papers" (PDF). American Philosophical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  55. ^ "Cyril Stanley Smith Dies at 88". September 2, 1992. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  56. ^ Ascher H. Shapiro. "Carl Richard Soderberg (1895–1979)". National Academies Press. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  57. ^ "Nobelist and former Institute Professor to speak at MIT". MIT News Office. April 11, 2001. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  58. ^ "MIT Chemistry faculty webpage". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  59. ^ "President emeritus Jerome Wiesner is dead at 79". October 26, 2004. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  60. ^ Norman F. Ramsey. "Jerrold R. Zacharias (1905–1896)". Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  61. ^ "MIT Facts 2007: Faculty". Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  62. ^ "MIT Department of Linguistics faculty homepage". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
  63. ^ "Students Persuade Solow to Teach One Last Course". November 7, 1995. Retrieved 2007-04-04.

External links[edit]

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