Marilen Gabriel Pirtea is Rector of the West University of Timișoara, Romania, a position he has held since 2012. Since June 2025, he has also served as Honorary Adviser to the Prime Minister of Romania for education and research. He has previously held the position of Vice-President of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies (2018–2020). He has been a Member of Parliament since 2016, serving on the Committee for Budget, Finance, and Banks.

Professor Pirtea is a full professor and PhD supervisor in Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, West University of Timișoara, where he teaches corporate finance, international finance, and corporate governance. He has published extensively, with articles indexed in international databases, several books and chapters, and contributions to major international conferences. He has also coordinated research projects and supervised doctoral work in the field of finance.

Dedicated to advancing international academic cooperation, he initiated in 2020 the RO–European Universities network and contributed to the creation of the European Universities Alliance UNITA Montium, where UVT is a founding member. His leadership has supported cultural and academic diplomacy, notably through the 2023 program At UVT, Culture is Capital, marking Timișoara’s role as European Capital of Culture.

He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the “Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy (2022) and the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu (2023). He is also Vice-President of the National Council of Rectors of Romania and Acting President of the Universitaria Consortium.

Professor Pirtea’s academic, political, and advisory roles reflect his commitment to strengthening the integration of Romanian higher education in the European Research and Education Area, promoting entrepreneurship and social engagement, and enhancing Romania’s visibility in the international academic and cultural community.