Author identifiers, such as ORCIDs, give you a way to reliably and unambiguously connect your names(s) with your work throughout your career, including your papers, data, biographical information, etc. This can be helpful in a number of ways:
ORCID at MIT takes a coordinated approach:
For more information about the past 2015 rollout see this article in the Faculty Newsletter.
Sign up for an ORCID or link your current one to your MIT account here!
Email orcid@mit.edu for help.