Nicolae Popescu, Ph.D., D.Phil. (Romanian: [nikoˈla.e poˈpesku]; 22 September 1937 – 29 July 2010) was a Romanian mathematician and Emeritus Professor. Popescu was elected a Member of the Romanian Academy in 1992. He is best known for his contributions to Algebra and the theory of Abelian categories. Since 1964 and until 2007 he collaborated on the characterization of abelian categories with the well-known French mathematician Pierre Gabriel.