A new short film spotlights the life and career of MIT Institute Professor and School of Engineering Dean Paula Hammond ’84, PhD ’93.
The documentary, “Full Circle: Paula Hammond at MIT,” traces Hammond’s path from childhood in Detroit, Michigan, to her arrival at MIT at 16 years old, to her evolution into a pioneering researcher in nanotechnology and ovarian cancer, as well as a leader at the Institute and around the globe.
The film is one of the debut offerings within “MIT Stories,” a new documentary series on MIT Learn that spotlights the innovators and changemakers whose work extends far beyond campus walls. Produced through intimate storytelling by MIT Open Learning’s Emmy Award-winning video team, the series aims to explore the passions that spark global impact and the human stories behind innovation.
“Everything Paula Hammond does is grounded in a deeply personal sense of purpose,” says Lana Scott, assistant media development director at MIT Open Learning who produced the film with Nick Vandenberg. “As a pioneering researcher and the first woman to lead MIT’s School of Engineering, she didn’t just break barriers, she changed what leadership can look like in a field that hasn’t always made space for people like her. Her story blends curiosity, care, and conviction, turning complex science into something human, relatable, and genuinely cinematic.”
The film’s original score was composed by Vandenberg, who was inspired by a musician Hammond has long cherished.
“Before our second interview, Paula and I spoke about our shared love of jazz, including artists like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis,” says Vandenberg, a videographer and senior editor at MIT Open Learning. “She mentioned Ramsey Lewis as a particular favorite of hers. So, as a little Easter egg for her, I wrote and recorded a composition with upright bass, drums, and organ based loosely on the sound of his early trio recordings.”
Video by Lana Scott and Nick Vandenberg / MIT Open Learning | 8 minutes, 40 seconds
