Posted by Alumni from MIT
September 3, 2026
MIT Assistant Professor Thomas Rose, an expert in ancient metallurgy, passed away on Sept. 2 due to injuries sustained during a bicycle accident in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The incident, currently under investigation, occurred at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Massachusetts Avenue. Rose was 37. Rose, who was MIT's POSCO Professor of Materials Science and a member of MIT's Center for Materials Research in Archaeology (CMRAE), joined MIT in January of this year and was still putting the finishing touches on his laboratory. But he had already endeared himself to colleagues and students by going the extra mile in mentorship, encouraging others to use his new equipment, and even using a portion of his lab startup funds on things the department needed. 'Everyone can look at his papers and his past and understand why he was such a good fit here technically,' Senior Lecturer Michael Tarkanian says. 'But in the time he was here, it was even more impressive how likable, friendly, and... learn more