The celebrity rumour mill is in overdrive.

Apparently, Brad Pitt has been 'spending time' with university professor Neri Oxman over the last few months. There are conflicting reports in the media with some publications suggesting that they've been dating for six months and others saying that they're just friends. According to People, they met last November when the Hollywood actor dropped by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where Neri lectures. The below Instagram photo was taken at the university's Media Lab although Neri does not feature in the snap. Page Six reports that their relationship is purely platonic but that hasn't stopped the internet from speculating that they are more than friends. A source told the publication:

"Their friendship has not turned into romance … as both are cautious and this is, again, more of a professional friendship, but Brad is very interested in spending more time with Neri, she is fascinating".

Neri, a professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, is an architect with one of her well-recognised works named The Silk Pavillion. This 2013 installation features 6,500 silkworms on a dome and some of her designs feature in museums around the world. The 42-year-old has won a number of her awards for the ground-breaking work she's conducted in her field and she has spoken at a number of high-profile events. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVa_IZVzUoc Neri was previously married to Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov and in recent times, she has been romantically linked to Bill Ackman, an activist investor.