Valentin Silivestru, PhD, is President General Director of the Romanian National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI, Bucharest, Romania, and Vice President of AAAR.

Born in January 24 1954, he started his carrier in Romania at the Politehnica University where he got his engineer diploma in 1979, specialization Aeronautical Engineering-Propulsion Systems. In 2001 he finishes his PhD at the same university with the qualificative Cum Laude and becomes also Associated Professor in the same year. During his PhD he participates in 1995 to special management trainings courses organized in UK and in 1998 attends to distance learning courses offered by Open University, Milton, UK.

In 1979 he is employed at the National Institute for Thermal Engines and in 1991 he starts his carrier at the Romanian National Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI, where in 2003 he becomes the President General Director.

Between 1994-2003 he was Scientific Director, Senior Researcher first degree at the Romanian Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI and coordinated the R-D departments, international cooperation R-D programs, with partners like GE – Nuovo Pignone, Italy; SNECMA, France, CIAM, Russia, etc. He also coordinated the programs on natural gas centrifugal compressors – 1 MW and the development of industrial turbines – 1.5 MW; initiated and coordinated international R-D projects: SILANCE®, METHOD, VITAL, ABRANEW.

Mr. Silivestru is member of numerous associations including Aeronautics and Astronautics Association of Romania (founding member and Vice President), Academy of Technical Sciences of Romania, Association Aeronautique et Astronautique de France (3AF), American Society of Mechanical Engineering, Trustee of Council of European Aerospace Societies and Member of SRG Clean Sky 2. He is one of the few Romanian highly skilled specialists in the Gas turbine field that are still working in Romania.

He has 18 patented inventions and over 50 journal and conference technical publications papers.

Also, he is the author of four technical books in the field of gas turbines and wind turbines.

He participated in over 20 national and international research projects as coordinator or collaborator.