Draft:Constantin P. Cristescu

Constantin P. Cristescu (1938-2021) was a Romanian physicist, professor, and researcher in the fields of lasers and nonlinear dynamics. He was a faculty member of the University Politehnica of Bucharest with over 50 years of uninterrupted activity (1962-2014) and a pioneer of laser physics and nonlinear dynamics in Romania. He published over 20 books and monographs and over 220 scientific papers in prestigious journals. He was also involved in the academic leadership and administration of the university and various scientific organizations.

Early life and education

•  Born in 1938 in Bucharest, Romania.

•  Graduated from the Faculty of Physics of the University of Bucharest in 1962.

•  Obtained his PhD in physics from the same university in 1971, under the supervision of Professor Ion I. Agârbiceanu.

Academic career and research

•  Became an assistant professor at the Department of Physics of the University Politehnica of Bucharest in 1962, and rose through the ranks to become a full professor in 1990.

•  Taught courses on laser physics, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, plasma physics, and quantum mechanics.

•  Created and led the first laboratory of laser physics and nonlinear dynamics in Romania, and supervised over 30 PhD students.

•  Conducted research on various topics, such as gas lasers, nonlinear dynamics and chaos in lasers, interaction of radiation with matter, spatio-temporal structures in plasma, and numerical simulation of nonlinear processes.

•  Received several awards and honors, such as the "Constantin Miculescu" Prize of the Romanian Academy (1983), the "Gheorghe Lazăr" Medal of the University Politehnica of Bucharest (2008), and the "Spiru Haret" Medal of the Ministry of Education and Research (2009).

Academic leadership and administration

•  Served as the chief of staff of the Department of Physics of the University Politehnica of Bucharest from 1991 to 2005.

•  Served as a member of the Senate of the University Politehnica of Bucharest from 1991 to 2004, and a member of the Council of the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications from 1991 to 2004.

•  Served as a member of the Physics Commission of the Ministry of Education from 1980 to 1990.

•  Served as a member of the steering committee of the SPIE Romanian Chapter from 1998 to 2005, and the secretary of the IEEE-LEOS South-Eastern European Chapter from 1998 to 2006.

Personal life and death

•  Married to Daniela Cristescu.

•  Had three children, Lucian, Cristina and Monica.

•  Died on 11 December 2021 in Bucharest, Romania, at the age of 83.