Gheorghe Paun

Gheorghe Paun is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy (1994–present) and a Visiting Researcher at the University of Sevilla (2009–present). He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Bucharest (1977), supervised by Solomon Marcus. His research spans Automata and Language Theory (descriptional complexity, regulated rewriting), Natural Computing (DNA computing, membrane computing), and he is the initiator of membrane computing.

• Education:
  • M.Sc. in Mathematics (1974), University of Bucharest (specialization: computer science)
  • Ph.D. in Mathematics (1977), University of Bucharest

His work includes foundational contributions to DNA computing (book DNA Computing. New Computing Paradigms, 1998) and membrane computing (book Membrane Computing. An Introduction, 2002). He has collaborated with over 100 researchers globally and advised multiple Ph.D. students, including Victor Mitrana and Gianina Georgescu.

His scientific awards include the Gheorghe Lazar award (1981), Corresponding Member of the Romanian Academy (1997), Doctor Honoris Causa from Silesian University of Opava (2007), and recognition as an ISI Highly Cited Scientist (2007). He also holds honorary citizenships in Curtea de Arges (1998), Arges County (2007), and Cicanesti village (2009).

Paun has served on editorial boards for journals like Theoretical Computer Science. Natural Computing Series and Natural Computing, and organized major workshops in membrane computing. His academic contributions include over 150 publications and editorial roles in 20+ journals.