<onlyinclude>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.
List of institute professors
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Current
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%"
! width="15%" | Name
! width="20%" | Department
! width="5%" | Elected
! width="50%" | Notability
! width="*" | Reference
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| Daron Acemoglu
|align="center" | Economics
|align="center" | 2019
| Author of Why Nations Fail; John Bates Clark Medal (2005); Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics (2024)
|align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Suzanne Berger
|align="center" | Political Science
|align="center" | 2019
| Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; chevalier of France's Legion of Honour (2009)
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Arup Chakraborty
|align="center" | Chemical Engineering
|align="center" | 2021
| Fellow of all three United States National academies; founding director of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Sallie W. Chisholm
|align="center" | Civil and Environmental Engineering
|align="center" | 2015
| Discovery and biology of the Prochlorococcus marine cyanobacteria
|align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Paula T. Hammond
|align="center" | Chemical Engineering
|align="center" | 2021
| Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and all three United States National academies
| align="center" | <includeonly>
|}</includeonly></onlyinclude>
|- valign="top"
| Thomas Magnanti
| align="center" | Mechanical Engineering
| align="center" | 1997
| align="left" | Operations research; Dean of Engineering (1999–2007)
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Noam Chomsky
| align="center" | Linguistics and Philosophy
| align="center" | 1976
| align="left" | Generative grammar; Kyoto Prize (1988); political activist and one of the most widely cited scholars alive
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| John M. Deutch
| align="center" | Chemistry
| align="center" | 1990
| align="left" | Director of Central Intelligence (1995–1996); Deputy Secretary of Defense (1994–1995); Provost of MIT (1985–1990)
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Peter A. Diamond
| align="center" | Economics
| align="center" | 1997
| align="left" | Social Security reform; Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2010)
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Jerome I. Friedman
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" | 1991
| align="left" | Quantum chromodynamics; Nobel Prize in Physics (1990)
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| John Harbison
| align="center" | Music and Theater Arts
| align="center" | 1995
| align="left" | MacArthur Fellow (1989); Pulitzer Prize for Music (1987) for The Flight into Egypt
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Barbara Liskov
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 2008
| align="left" | Contributions to data abstraction and programming languages; Turing Award (2008) and John von Neumann Medal (2004)
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| John D.C. Little
| align="center" | Management
| align="center" |
| align="left" | Little's law and Branch and bound; contributions to
marketing and e-commerce
| align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Ron Rivest
|align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
|align="center" | 2015
| Co-inventor of the RSA algorithm; founder of Verisign and RSA Security
|align="center" |
|- valign="top"
| Phillip Sharp
| align="center" | Biology
| align="center" | 1999
| align="left" | RNA interference and splicing; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1993)
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|- valign="top"
| Sheila Widnall
| align="center" | Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
| align="center" | 1998
| align="left" | Secretary of the Air Force (1993–1997); first woman to chair the MIT faculty; first MIT alumna appointed to MIT engineering faculty
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|}
Deceased
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%"
! width="15%" | Name
! width="20%" | Department
! width="5%" | Elected
! width="50%" | Notability
! width="*" | Reference
!
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| Mildred S. Dresselhaus
| align="center" | Physics & Electrical Engineering
| align="center" | 1985
| align="left" | Carbon nanotubes; National Medal of Science (1990)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Murray Eden
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering
| align="center" | 1959–1994
| align="left" | Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program directors award
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Manson Benedict
| align="center" | Nuclear Engineering
| align="center" | 1969
| align="left" | National Medal of Science (1975)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Joel Moses
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1999
| align="left" | Algebraic manipulation algorithms and MACSYMA; Provost of MIT (1995–1998); Dean of Engineering (1991–1995)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Norbert Wiener
| align="center" | Mathematics
| align="center" | 1959
| align="left" | National Medal of Science (1964)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Gordon S. Brown
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1973
| align="left" | Automatic feedback-control systems and computer numerical control; Dean of Engineering (1959–1968)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Martin Julian Buerger
| align="center" | Mineralogy
| align="center" | 1956
| align="left" | Crystallography
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Morris Cohen
| align="center" | Material Science and Engineering
| align="center" | 1974
| align="left" | Metallurgy of steel
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Charles S. Draper
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1966
| align="left" | Inertial guidance and gyro gunsight; founder of the Instrumentation Laboratory
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1966
| align="left" | High-speed photography; Co-founder of EG&G; National Medal of Science (1973)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Herman Feshbach
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" | 1983
| align="left" | Nuclear reaction theory; National Medal of Science (1986)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Edwin R. Gilliland
| align="center" | Chemical Engineering
| align="center" | 1971
| align="left" | Fractional distillation columns and fluidized catalytic cracking; President's Science Advisory Committee (1961–1965)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Hermann Anton Haus
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1986
| align="left" | Optical communications; National Medal of Science (1995)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Arthur von Hippel
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1962
| align="left" | Dielectric materials
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Arthur Thomas Ippen
| align="center" | Civil Engineering
| align="center" | 1970
| align="left" | Hydraulic engineering and water resources
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Roman O. Jakobson
| align="center" | Linguistics and Philosophy
| align="center" |
| align="left" | Expert on Russian formalism, Slavic studies and linguistics
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| György Kepes
| align="center" | Architecture
| align="center" | 1970
| align="left" | Founded the Center for Advanced Visual Studies; Bauhaus contributor; Hungarian Medal of Honor and Middle Cross (1996)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Norman Levinson
| align="center" | Mathematics
| align="center" | 1971
| align="left" | Non-linear differential equations, mathematical analysis, and analytic number theory; testified at 1953 House Un-American Activities Committee
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Francis E. Low
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" |
| align="left" | Condensed matter physics; Provost of MIT (1980–1985)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Franco Modigliani
| align="center" | Economics & Management
| align="center" | 1970
| align="left" | Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1985)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Mario Molina
| align="center" | Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Sciences
| align="center" | 1997
| align="left" | Stratospheric ozone chemistry; Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1995)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Walle J. H. Nauta
| align="center" | Brain and Cognitive Sciences
| align="center" | 1973
| align="left" | Nauta Silver Impregnation Method used to trace degenerating nerve fibers
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Walter A. Rosenblith
| align="center" | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
| align="center" | 1975
| align="left" | Psychoacoustics; elected to all three United States National academies; Provost of MIT (1971–1980)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Bruno Rossi
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" | 1966
| align="left" | X-ray astronomy and discovery of cosmic rays; Wolf Prize (1987) and National Medal of Science (1983)
| align="center" |
|
|- valign="top"
| Paul Samuelson
| align="center" | Economics
| align="center" | 1966
| align="left" | National Medal of Science (1996), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1970), and John Bates Clark Medal (1947)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Francis O. Schmitt
| align="center" | Biology
| align="center" | 1955
| align="left" | Biological electron microscopy
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Nevin S. Scrimshaw
| align="center" | Nutrition and Food Science
| align="center" | 1980
| align="left" | Eliminating nutritional deficiency; World Food Prize (1991)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Ascher H. Shapiro
| align="center" | Mechanical Engineering
| align="center" | 1975
| align="left" | Fluid mechanics and biomedical engineering
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Isadore Singer
| align="center" | Mathematics
| align="center" | 1987
| align="left" | Atiyah–Singer index theorem; Abel Prize (2004)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| John C. Slater
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" | 1951
| align="left" | Quantum theory and electromagnetic theory of microwaves; advisor to William Shockley
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Cyril S. Smith
| align="center" | Materials Science & Humanities
| align="center" |
| align="left" | Metallurgy, crystallography, and metallography of archaeological artifacts
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Carl R. Soderberg
| align="center" | Mechanical Engineering
| align="center" | 1959
| align="left" | Steam turbine electric generators; Dean of Engineering (1954–1959); consultant on the J-57 turbojet
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Charles H. Townes
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" | 1961
| align="left" | Quantum Electronics and Maser; National Medal of Science (1982) and Nobel Prize in Physics (1964)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Daniel I.C. Wang
| align="center" | Chemical Engineering
| align="center" | 1995
| align="left" | Biochemical process engineering
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Victor Weisskopf
| align="center" | Physics
| align="center" | 1965
| align="left" | Co-founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Wolf Prize (1981) and National Medal of Science (1980)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Jerrold R. Zacharias
| align="center" | Nuclear Science and Engineering
| align="center" | 1966
| align="left" | Atomic beams and clocks; microwave radar; educational reform
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Chia-Chiao Lin
| align="center" | Mathematics
| align="center" | 1966
| align="left" | Fluid mechanics
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Morris Halle
| align="center" | Linguistics and Philosophy
| align="center" | 1981
| align="left" | Phonology; Author of The Sound Pattern of English
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
| Robert M. Solow
| align="center" | Economics
| align="center" | 1973
| align="left" | National Medal of Science (1999), Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1987), and John Bates Clark Medal (1961)
| align="center" |
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|- valign="top"
|David Baltimore
| align="center" |Biology
| align="center" |1995
| align="left" |Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1975)
| align="center" |