Viorel Nitica

Viorel Nitica died at home on Sunday, June 20, 2021, after a 40-month battle with brain cancer. He was an internationally recognized mathematician and esteemed professor at West Chester University. Viorel was also a beloved husband, father, son, and brother. Born in Constanta, Romania in 1961, he was preceded in death by his father Constantin Nitica who inspired his love of mathematics. He is survived by his wife Ana Magdalena Nitica, two sons Alexandru Nitica and Octavian Nitica together with his wife Bianca Morales Nitica, his mother Maria Nitica, and younger brother Catalin Nitica. Viorel Nitica grew up in Romania and earned his undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Mathematics at the University of Bucharest, where he met his beloved wife. He earned his Doctoral Degree in Mathematics in 1995 at Penn State University under the guidance of Anatole Katok, a world-renowned mathematician and one of the most influential figures in his field of Dynamical Systems. The monograph he co-authored with Anatole Katok was the first publication of this sort to present the modern advances in the rigidity of higher-rank abelian group actions, a field to which Viorel himself has made many contributions. Viorel Nitica’s research extended to many areas of mathematics, including operator algebras, dynamical systems, geometry of max-plus spaces, topological groups and Lie groups, tilings and combinatorics, and number theory. Four sequences are attributed to Viorel Nitica in the "Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences." His interests led to collaborations at many universities in various countries around the world. Other notable positions were held at University of Notre Dame and Indiana University at Bloomington, as well as teaching summer school for advanced students at Penn State University. His passion of mathematics was shared among family. Conversations with his father-in-law, the distinguished mathematician Ivan Singer, revealed some interesting problems that resulted in the publication of several collaborative papers. Viorel Nitica published a book, “The Intricate Nature of Mathematics”, with his brother. His last published paper appeared in 2020, with more to be submitted and published. He had a way of discovering interesting, unsolved problems and utilized his unique perspective to make progress. Due to his untimely departure, many of these projects remain unfinished. Viorel Nitica was a member of the American Mathematical Society, the Institute of Mathematics of Romanian Academy, and member of editorial committees of mathematical journals. Over the years he won several grants from prestigious institutions such as the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation, and awards, such as the 2012 West Chester University Trustee’s Achievement Award. He was known for his passion of knowledge and research and being an excellent teacher who cared about his students’ success, many of whom fondly appreciated his mentorship. Outside of his career he lived a happy life surrounded by his beloved family. His hobbies included chess, puzzles, games, movies, meaningful conversations, jokes, as well as long walks in nature. Viorel Nitica traveled the world yet one of his favorite places remained Longwood Gardens. He was an avid reader and history buff. He loved food, especially cooking for his family, and going out to local restaurants. His life was extinguished too soon. A vibrant, warm, kind, generous, and enthusiastic man, Viorel Nitica will be forever remembered with fondness and with much love by his family, and those who had gotten to know him. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to West Chester University Foundation, in memory of Dr. Viorel Nitica. Please make checks payable to WCU Foundation, Memo: “Nitica Scholarship 2136-660” and mail to 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382. Gifts can also be made through the Foundation’s secure website at https://go.wcufoundation.org/donate/Viorel.