List of institute professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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.<ref name="MITdefinition"/> Usually no more than twelve professors hold this distinction at any one time.<ref name="MITdefinition"/>

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.<ref name="MITdefinition"/> The position was created by President James R. Killian in 1951, and John C. Slater was the first to hold the title.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

List of institute professors

Current

Name	Department	Elected	Notability	Reference
Daron Acemoglu	Economics	2019	Author of Why Nations Fail; John Bates Clark Medal (2005); Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics (2024)	<ref name="InstProf">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Suzanne Berger	Political Science	2019	Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; chevalier of France's Legion of Honour (2009)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Arup Chakraborty	Chemical Engineering	2021	Fellow of all three United States National academies; founding director of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science	<ref name="MIT News Office">Template:Cite news</ref>
Sallie W. Chisholm	Civil and Environmental Engineering	2015	Discovery and biology of the Prochlorococcus marine cyanobacteria	<ref name=":0" />
Ann Graybiel	Brain and Cognitive Sciences	2008	Expert on the basal ganglia; National Medal of Science (2001)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Paula T. Hammond	Chemical Engineering	2021	Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and all three United States National academies	<ref name="MIT News Office"/>
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)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Thomas Magnanti	Mechanical Engineering	1997	Operations research; Dean of Engineering (1999–2007)	<ref name="DMM"/>
Marcus Thompson	Music and Theater Arts	2015	Artistic director of Boston Chamber Music Society	<ref name=":0" />

Former

Name	MIT department	Current institution	Elected	Notability	Reference
David Baltimore	Biology	Caltech	1995	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1975)	<ref name="BHW"/>

Emeritus

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)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Noam Chomsky	Linguistics and Philosophy	1976	Generative grammar; Kyoto Prize (1988); political activist and one of the most widely cited scholars alive<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref> "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 Template:Webarchive, July/August, 2001 </ref>	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John M. Deutch	Chemistry	1990	Director of Central Intelligence (1995–1996); Deputy Secretary of Defense (1994–1995); Provost of MIT (1985–1990)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Peter A. Diamond	Economics	1997	Social Security reform; Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2010)	<ref name="DMM">Template:Cite news</ref>
Jerome I. Friedman	Physics	1991	Quantum chromodynamics; Nobel Prize in Physics (1990)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John Harbison	Music and Theater Arts	1995	MacArthur Fellow (1989); Pulitzer Prize for Music (1987) for The Flight into Egypt	<ref name="BHW">Template:Cite news</ref>
Barbara Liskov	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	2008	Contributions to data abstraction and programming languages; Turing Award (2008) and John von Neumann Medal (2004)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
John D.C. Little	Management		Little's law and Branch and bound; contributions to marketing and e-commerce	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ron Rivest	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	2015	Co-inventor of the RSA algorithm; founder of Verisign and RSA Security	<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Phillip Sharp	Biology	1999	RNA interference and splicing; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1993)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Deceased

Name	Department	Elected	Notability	Reference
Mildred S. Dresselhaus	Physics & Electrical Engineering	1985	Carbon nanotubes; National Medal of Science (1990)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Murray Eden	Electrical Engineering	1959–1994	Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program directors award	<ref>Longtime Engineering Authority Eden Mourned, at NIH record, October 2, 2020</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Manson Benedict	Nuclear Engineering	1969	National Medal of Science (1975)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Joel Moses	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1999	Algebraic manipulation algorithms and MACSYMA; Provost of MIT (1995–1998); Dean of Engineering (1991–1995)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Norbert Wiener	Mathematics	1959	National Medal of Science (1964)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Gordon S. Brown	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1973	Automatic feedback-control systems and computer numerical control; Dean of Engineering (1959–1968)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Martin Julian Buerger	Mineralogy	1956	Crystallography	<ref>Azaroff, L. V. J. Appl. Crystallogr. (1986) 19, 205-207.</ref>
Morris Cohen	Material Science and Engineering	1974	Metallurgy of steel	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Charles S. Draper	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1966	Inertial guidance and gyro gunsight; founder of the Instrumentation Laboratory	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1966	High-speed photography; Co-founder of EG&G; National Medal of Science (1973)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Herman Feshbach	Physics	1983	Nuclear reaction theory; National Medal of Science (1986)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Edwin R. Gilliland	Chemical Engineering	1971	Fractional distillation columns and fluidized catalytic cracking; President's Science Advisory Committee (1961–1965)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Hermann Anton Haus	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1986	Optical communications; National Medal of Science (1995)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Arthur von Hippel	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1962	Dielectric materials	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Arthur Thomas Ippen	Civil Engineering	1970	Hydraulic engineering and water resources	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Roman O. Jakobson	Linguistics and Philosophy		Expert on Russian formalism, Slavic studies and linguistics	<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
György Kepes	Architecture	1970	Founded the Center for Advanced Visual Studies; Bauhaus contributor; Hungarian Medal of Honor and Middle Cross (1996)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Norman Levinson	Mathematics	1971	Non-linear differential equations, mathematical analysis, and analytic number theory; testified at 1953 House Un-American Activities Committee	<ref name="1973 Tech">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Francis E. Low	Physics		Condensed matter physics; Provost of MIT (1980–1985)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Franco Modigliani	Economics & Management	1970	Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1985)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Mario Molina	Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences	1997	Stratospheric ozone chemistry; Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1995)	<ref name="DMM"/>
Philip Morrison	Physics	1973	Theoretical astrophysics	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Walle J. H. Nauta	Brain and Cognitive Sciences	1973	Nauta Silver Impregnation Method used to trace degenerating nerve fibers	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Walter A. Rosenblith	Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	1975	Psychoacoustics; elected to all three United States National academies; Provost of MIT (1971–1980)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Bruno Rossi	Physics	1966	X-ray astronomy and discovery of cosmic rays; Wolf Prize (1987) and National Medal of Science (1983)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Paul Samuelson	Economics	1966	National Medal of Science (1996), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1970), and John Bates Clark Medal (1947)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Francis O. Schmitt	Biology	1955	Biological electron microscopy	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Nevin S. Scrimshaw	Nutrition and Food Science	1980	Eliminating nutritional deficiency; World Food Prize (1991)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ascher H. Shapiro	Mechanical Engineering	1975	Fluid mechanics and biomedical engineering	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Isadore Singer	Mathematics	1987	Atiyah–Singer index theorem; Abel Prize (2004)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
John C. Slater	Physics	1951	Quantum theory and electromagnetic theory of microwaves; advisor to William Shockley	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cyril S. Smith	Materials Science & Humanities		Metallurgy, crystallography, and metallography of archaeological artifacts	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Carl R. Soderberg	Mechanical Engineering	1959	Steam turbine electric generators; Dean of Engineering (1954–1959); consultant on the J-57 turbojet	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Charles H. Townes	Physics	1961	Quantum Electronics and Maser; National Medal of Science (1982) and Nobel Prize in Physics (1964)	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Daniel I.C. Wang	Chemical Engineering	1995	Biochemical process engineering	<ref name="BHW"/>
John S. Waugh	Chemistry		Computational studies of spin systems	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Victor Weisskopf	Physics	1965	Co-founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Wolf Prize (1981) and National Medal of Science (1980)	<ref name="1973 Tech"/>
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)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Jerrold R. Zacharias	Nuclear Science and Engineering	1966	Atomic beams and clocks; microwave radar; educational reform	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Chia-Chiao Lin	Mathematics	1966	Fluid mechanics	<ref name="1973 Tech"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Morris Halle	Linguistics and Philosophy	1981	Phonology; Author of The Sound Pattern of English	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Robert M. Solow	Economics	1973	National Medal of Science (1999), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1987), and John Bates Clark Medal (1961)	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• MIT online directory of Institute Professors and Institute Professors Emeriti
• MIT Facts: Faculty and Staff
• MIT's Spectrvm magazine article