Mihai Corneliu Drăgănescu (October 6, 1929 – May 28, 2010) was a Romanian engineer who served as President of the Romanian Academy from 1990 to 1994.

Born in Făget, Prahova County,[1] he received a B.Sc. in 1952 and a Ph.D. in 1957 from Politehnica University of Bucharest. He married Nora Cecilia Rebreanu [ro] in 1957.[2] He joined the faculty of Politehnica University in 1951, becoming a professor in 1965.[3] In 1974, he became a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, rising to titular member in January 1990, following the Romanian Revolution. Later that year, he became the academy's president, serving until 1994[4] and initiating its transition into the post-communist environment.[5] In the first cabinet of Petre Roman, in 1989–1990, he was a deputy prime minister.[6] He co-authored several publications with Menas Kafatos, including the book Principles of Integrative Science (Editura Tehnică, 2003).[7]

In 1971, he was made a commander of the Legion of Honour, attaining the same rank in the Order of the Star of Romania in 2000.[8] He was buried at Bellu Cemetery.[9]

The Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of the Romanian Academy, set up in 1994, is named after him.[10]

Notes

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  1. ^ Iancu, p.114
  2. ^ "Mihai Drăgănescu – Curriculum Vitae". www.racai.ro. Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence "Mihai Drăgănescu", Romanian Academy. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  3. ^ Iancu, p.116
  4. ^ Iancu, p.128
  5. ^ Iancu, p.115
  6. ^ Iancu, p.127
  7. ^ "Mihai Drăgănescu (1929–2010)". www.racai.ro. Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence "Mihai Drăgănescu", Romanian Academy. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Iancu, p.129
  9. ^ (in Romanian) "A murit Mihai Drăgănescu, fost președinte al Academiei Române", Adevărul, June 2, 2010; accessed June 3, 2014
  10. ^ "Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence "Mihai Drăgănescu", Romanian Academy". www.racai.ro. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

References

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