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. The position was created by President James R. Killian in 1951, and John C. Slater was the first to hold the title.[1]
| align="center" | Mechanical Engineering | align="center" | 1997| align="left" |
|align="center" | Music and Theater Arts|align="center" | 2015| align="left" | Artistic director of
| Name | Department | Elected | Notability | Reference |
|---|
| Mildred S. Dresselhaus | Physics & Electrical Engineering | 1985 | Carbon nanotubes
- National Medal of Science (1990)
| [22] |
| Murray Eden | Electrical Engineering | 1959-1994 | Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program directors award | [23] [24] |
| Manson Benedict | Nuclear Engineering | 1969 | National Medal of Science (1975) | [25] |
| Joel Moses | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1999 | Algebraic manipulation algorithms and MACSYMA; Provost of MIT (1995–1998); Dean of Engineering (1991–1995) | [26] |
| Norbert Wiener | Mathematics | 1959 | National Medal of Science (1964) | [27] |
| Gordon S. Brown | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1973 | Automatic feedback-control systems and computer numerical control; Dean of Engineering (1959–1968) | [28] |
| Martin Julian Buerger | Mineralogy | 1956 | Crystallography | [29] |
| Morris Cohen | Material Science and Engineering | 1974 | Metallurgy of steel | [30] |
| Charles S. Draper | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1966 | Inertial guidance and gyro gunsight; founder of the Instrumentation Laboratory | [31] |
| Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1966 | High-speed photography
- Co-founder of EG&G; National Medal of Science (1973)
| [32] |
| Herman Feshbach | Physics | 1983 | Nuclear reaction theory; National Medal of Science (1986) | [33] |
| Edwin R. Gilliland | Chemical Engineering | 1971 | Fractional distillation columns and fluidized catalytic cracking; President's Science Advisory Committee (1961–1965) | [34] |
| Hermann Anton Haus | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1986 | Optical communications
- National Medal of Science (1995)
| [35] |
| Arthur von Hippel | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1962 | Dielectric materials | [36] |
| Arthur Thomas Ippen | Civil Engineering | 1970 | Hydraulic engineering and water resources | [37] |
| Roman O. Jakobson | Linguistics and Philosophy | | Expert on Russian formalism, Slavic studies and linguistics | [38] |
| György Kepes | Architecture | 1970 | Founded the Center for Advanced Visual Studies; Bauhaus contributor; Hungarian Medal of Honor and Middle Cross (1996) | [39] |
| Norman Levinson | Mathematics | 1971 | Non-linear differential equations, mathematical analysis, and analytic number theory; testified at 1953 House Un-American Activities Committee | [40] [41] |
| Francis E. Low | Physics | | Condensed matter physics
- Provost of MIT (1980–1985)
| [42] |
| Franco Modigliani | Economics & Management | 1970 | Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1985) | [43] |
| Mario Molina | Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences | 1997 | Stratospheric ozone chemistry
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1995)
| |
| Philip Morrison | Physics | 1973 | Theoretical astrophysics | [44] |
| Walle J. H. Nauta | Brain and Cognitive Sciences | 1973 | Nauta Silver Impregnation Method used to trace degenerating nerve fibers | [45] |
| Walter A. Rosenblith | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | 1975 | Psychoacoustics
- elected to all three United States National academies; Provost of MIT (1971–1980)
| [46] |
| Bruno Rossi | Physics | 1966 | X-ray astronomy and discovery of cosmic rays; Wolf Prize (1987) and National Medal of Science (1983) | [47] |
| Paul Samuelson | Economics | 1966 | National Medal of Science (1996), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1970), and John Bates Clark Medal (1947) | [48] |
| Francis O. Schmitt | Biology | 1955 | Biological electron microscopy | [49] |
| Nevin S. Scrimshaw | Nutrition and Food Science | 1980 | Eliminating nutritional deficiency; World Food Prize (1991) | [50] |
| Ascher H. Shapiro | Mechanical Engineering | 1975 | Fluid mechanics and biomedical engineering | [51] |
| Isadore Singer | Mathematics | 1987 | Atiyah–Singer index theorem
- Abel Prize (2004)
| [52] |
| John C. Slater | Physics | 1951 | Quantum theory and electromagnetic theory of microwaves; advisor to William Shockley | [53] |
| Cyril S. Smith | Materials Science & Humanities | | Metallurgy, crystallography, and metallography of archaeological artifacts | [54] |
| Carl R. Soderberg | Mechanical Engineering | 1959 | Steam turbine electric generators; Dean of Engineering (1954–1959); consultant on the J-57 turbojet | [55] |
| Charles H. Townes | Physics | 1961 | Quantum Electronics and Maser; National Medal of Science (1982) and Nobel Prize in Physics (1964) | [56] |
| Daniel I.C. Wang | Chemical Engineering | 1995 | Biochemical process engineering | |
| John S. Waugh | Chemistry | | Computational studies of spin systems | [57] |
| Victor Weisskopf | Physics | 1965 | Co-founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Wolf Prize (1981) and National Medal of Science (1980) | |
| 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) | [58] |
| Jerrold R. Zacharias | Nuclear Science and Engineering | 1966 | Atomic beams and clocks; microwave radar; educational reform | [59] |
| Chia-Chiao Lin | Mathematics | 1966 | Fluid mechanics | [60] |
| Morris Halle | Linguistics and Philosophy | 1981 | Phonology
- Author of The Sound Pattern of English
| [61] |
| Robert M. Solow | Economics | 1973 | National Medal of Science (1999), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1987), and John Bates Clark Medal (1961) | [62] | |
