Staff

Professor Liliana Dumitrache is a Human Geographer, doing researches in the field of Geography of Health and Health Care, Geodemography, Quality of Life. She coordinated or was a member of multiple national or international project teams, and she extensively published books and articles in the field, promoting interdisciplinarity between geography and health sciences. She is an active member of various professional organizations and associations, (e.g. IGU – Commission on Health and Environment), is the Editor in Chief of the internationally indexed journal Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, and member of Editorial Boards for several geographic publications. She acts as an expert evaluator or member of monitoring teams within different research founding or academic evaluation authorities (National Agency for Scientific Research, Ministry of Research and Innovation, Romanian Quality Evaluation Agency for Higher Education, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, JPI Climate). She supervised 20 PhD Thesis (15 defended) and has extensively referred books, PhD thesis and articles in indexed national or international journals.

Dr. Daniela Dumbraveanu is a geographer whose experience spans for almost 30 years with a research interest in: tourism interpretation, promotional policies for tourism, brand identity and branding and destination development. She is also the president of the UNIVERSITUR NGO and supervised numerous non-formal education-related projects from this capacity. She activated as a visiting lecturer, for ten years at the Liverpool Hope University, in the EVS Department, while also gathering impressive consultancy expertise with The Iron Gates Natural Park Administration, Romanian Ministry of Tourism, Mehedinți County Council Authority, FORMAS – The Swedish Research Council, FSC (Field Studies Council) UK, School Inspectorate Mehedinți County, or the British Council. She is the sole author of numerous publications in her areas of expertise but also proved her team working skils when activating in groups of authors. She was apart of ERASMUS, SOCRATES, TEMPUS, LINGUA, and CIME projects and grants, and she has been of pivotal importance in organizing and leading student fieldwork acidity for the last 25 years.

Dr. Gabriel Simion is a Lecturer (2008-present) at the Department of Human and Economy Geography of the University of Bucharest (Romania) and co-editor of Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography. Prior to assuming this role, he worked as a councillor for the Romanian Ministry of Culture (2006-2010) and as a researcher at the Romanian Academy-Institute of Geography (2002-2005). Over the past twelve years, he was involved in various research teams as a GIS specialist and spatial data in the fields of land use/cover changes, urban dynamics, human impact on the environment, land fragmentation and consolidation (Humboldt University Berlin, Institute for Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, Junior Research Group Postsocialist Land Relations), deindustrialization and disadvantaged rural areas, Internet portal of the Danube Co-operation Process (Austrian Institute of East and Southeast European Studies). He was involved as a regional GIS expert in the World Bank projects to developing GIS-dataset to Support Component C of Romania Climate Change – Bucharest Development Scenario Study; Romania Water Diagnostic Report Moving toward EU Compliance, Inclusion, and Water Security, Support Provided to Update the UWWTD Implementation Plan Including Approach, Workplan and Roadmap of the Associated Activities. He was part of EU projects on various themes (PhD and post-doctoral studies, GIS teaching, urban image and geodemography). Dr. Simion holds a Ph.D. in geography and GIS in 2008 and an M.Sc. in landscape management from the University of Bucharest, Romania.

Dr. Bogdan Suditu is a human geographer with scientific interests on urban and social geography, historical geography, urban and territorial planning, territorial governance, urban sprawl, housing policy and social housing, residential mobility, migration, informal settlements, socio-demographic territorial disparities, urban history, toponimy and official place names. He is also recognised as a practitioner conducting research and consultancy on housing policies, urban planning, urban regeneration, informal settlements and neighbourhoods affected by physical degradation and social exclusion. He carried out the first research on urban sprawl and informal settlements in Romania. He has a strong formation in public administration, urban planning and housing: he is a Diplomat of National School of Administration (Ecolé Nationale d’Administration – ENA) Strasbourg – France (2010) while also coordinating activities on urban planning and housing in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration (2007-2013). He is a member of Romanian and international research teams, non-governmental professional associations, and a start-up in urban development and regeneration.

Dr. Mariana Nae is a human geographer with scientific interest on social and cultural geography. Her research activity is focused on urban quality of life changes, post-socialist urban restructuring and cultural regeneration. She participated as a research member in international projects on the issue of international skilled migration (L’émigration féminine hautement qualifiée dans le secteur de santé roumain et bulgare vers la France : enjeux, défis et perspectives futures), project funded by AUF; in national projects with different themes, related to the areas and sub-domains of the quality of life: urban living and quality of housing (Ministry of Regional Development, Housing and Equipment), memory, tradition and cultural identity (Memory, traditions and cultural identities (RECONNEX), geography of health and health care services (Geographical assessment of health and health care services in post-communist Romania, Geographical distribution of diseases and identification of potential risks factors in post-communist Romania). She is also involved in research projects that aimed at developing the skills and training of human resources by developing strategies for smart cities and proposing methodological and didactic tools for spatial planning.

Dr. Aurel Gheorghilas holds a PhD in geography and is a lecturer at the Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest. His research activity covers the domain of human geography and geography of human settlements, one of his notable works is his doctorate thesis entitled The Târgului River hydrographical basin. Potential for human settlements development. As project director, he coordinated research studies including Economic and socio-cultural dimension of the rural quality of life within the Romanian Subcarpathians areas, 2003 – 2005, and Valuing the management of built in patrimony in the context of cross-culturality, 2008 – 2011. As a member of numerous research themes, he contributed to the successful finalizing of representative projects such as The geographical analysis of the territorial inequalities of health and health care in post-communist Romania and their contextual European effects, 2006 – 2008, and Restoring the connections applicable to the historic, ethnic, economic, cultural, and spiritual continuity  as well as the preservation of community, group and familial traditions in an area of memory discontinuity and loss of identity, 2008 – 2011. In the same time he participated to numerous scientific national and international events and published more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed national and international journals.

Dr. Alina Mareci is a doctor in Geography with expertise spanning for over 10 years. Her research and teaching interest focus on health geography and her publishing activity cover topics such as vulnerable population groups, health population, and mental health studies, reinforced by participation at international programs such as Visibility of Public Teaching and Research in South-East Europe. During her work at the Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest she has coordinated numerous students’ fieldworks and activates as secretary editor for Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography. She has a five-year experience of participating as trainer or group leader in trainings and youth exchanges using non-formal education under ERASMUS+ programs. These programs included KALEIDOSCOPE Youth work and innovative methods to work with young people, FR.O.M. – NFE Tools to Raise Awareness on Anti-Racism and Freedom of Movement, STAGED! Struggling Against Gender-based Discrimination through Youth Work in EU and Asia, BABEL: desarrollo de técnicas educativas innovadoras para la difusión del patrimonio literario y oral. In 2019 she worked as a GIS expert within the Romania: Technical Support to Romania in Analysing and Addressing the Challenges in Meeting the UWWTD requirements program, implemented by the World Bank Group.

Dr. Mihaela Oglindoiu is a human geographer at the Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest. Her research and teaching activity focus on tourism, urban and rural geography, social and cultural geography, urban and territorial planning, and ethnogeography. She is the author or co-author of books on rural and urban geography or rural tourism: The Piedmont Plateau of Bălăciţa. Geography of rural settlements; Drobeta Turnu Severin municipality. Geodemographic aspects, the impact of human activities on the environment; Orșova Municipality. Elements of physical and human geography; Poroina Mare Commune. Study of human geography; Livezile commune – Mehedinți county. Study of rural geography; Rural tourism. For the past nine years, she has been organizing student field works, and she has published numerous guides used for practical scientific and methodological applications: Guide for scientific and methodological application. Drobeta Turnu Severin; Guide for scientific and methodological application. The Getic Plateau-Getic Subcarpathians-Southern Carpathians. She participated in numerous scientific national and international events and published articles in peer-reviewed national and international journals. She was a scientific coordinator with professors such as Erdeli George, Braghină Cristian, Gheorghilaș Aurel, Preda Mihaela for numerous undergraduate theses.

Dr. Elena Bogan is a lecturer at the Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest. Her research activity involves the following areas of interest: urban and rural tourism, heritage tourism, management of tourist accommodation structures, human and economic geography, territorial planning and management. She ensured, as a grant director or member of research teams, the completion of several research projects on topics such as socio-demographic and economic issues (The Trascău Mountains. A study in Human Geography), analysis of disadvantaged geographical areas (Integrated rural development of the geographic fragile spaces), rural and urban development (Urban Restructuring in Small and Medium-Sized Industrial Towns from Romania; Sustainable socio-economic development of small towns in Romania between the potential and the requirements of the community), as well as tourism analyzing from a geographical perspective. She has also participated in numerous national and international scientific events, is the author of numerous scientific papers and books, as well as co-editor and member of the scientific committee of several specialized publications.

Dr. Ana – Irina Lequeux – Dinca is a human geographer with interests on tourism and other environmental change, economic development and society issues. Her research background spans for over 15 years as she acted as an assistant researcher at the Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy (2005-2009) and a collaborator of the National Institute of Research and Development in Tourism – Romania (2010 – 2013) while being continuously involved in both research and teaching activities at the Department of Human and Economic Geography, University of Bucharest. Between 2009 and 2015 she was also a co-editor of the scientific journal Annals of the University of Bucharest, Geography series. Her substantial research work experience comes from different projects granted by EU and national research programmes (e.g. FP6 CLAVIER, SALVATUR) but also from her professional training as she graduated the IMES- International Master European Studies (23rd edition) – Brussels, Belgium, enabling her to perform as an expert evaluator in H2020 – MSCA proposals. She is the author and the co-author of several books on Sustainable tourism in the transcarpathian corridor Gura Humorului – Câmpulung Vatra Dornei – Bârgău (publication of PhD thesis), Turism in Romania. Natură şi Societate, Romanian Academy Publishing House, Bucharest,  Internationaler Vergleich von Risikotransfermodellen im bereich Hochwasser in Hochwasserrisiko und dessen Versicherung in Osterreich Evaluierung und okonomische Analyse des von der Versicherungswirtschaft vorgeschlagenen Modells NatKat and of more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed national and international journals.

Dr. Mihaela Preda is a human geographer with interests on ethnogeography, demography social and cultural geography. Her research activity is focused on demographic phenomena, Roma population, and also social aspects related to population behaviour. She participated in international projects related to the social problems of the Roma ethnic group (Faces and Causes of the Roma Marginalization in Local Settings. Regional Roma Survey 2011, focusing on Hungary, Romania, Serbia, project funded by UNDP/World Bank/EC); in national projects with themes varying from the geodemographic evolution of the ethnic groups in Romania in the post-communist period, to demographic models in the context of sustainable regional development in Romania, to the geography of health and health care services (Geographical assessment of health and health care services in post-communist Romania) and social risks in rural areas (Contemporary Romanian village, assessment and management of natural and social risks in the context of rural development). She is also involved in research projects that develop policies for local communities (Policies for sustainable regional integration of the Roma ethnic group. Oltenia case study) and propose strategies in order to integrate students on the labour market (Optimizing the insertion process of graduates in the field of geography on the labour market).

Dr. Ana Roangheș-Mureanu is active for 15 years as a university assistant withing the Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography. Her research interests revolve around the geography of tourism, especially SPA tourism (with her PhD thesis analysing from a geographical perspective the SPA tourism from the Vâlcii Sub-Carpathians). Other research interests include cultural tourism, religious tourism, as well as measuring the impcat of tourism activities on the environment. In this regard she is the author of SPA and climate tourism – Vâlcii Sub-Carpathians and co-author of The city of Orșova – Elements of physical and human geography. She also participated in numerous national and international scientific events and published in over 30 articles in renowned national and international journals.

Dr. Ana-Maria Talos is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, with expertise in teaching, research and students related activities. Her research activity is focused on health geography, population lifestyle and active ageing. For the past eight years she has been organizing student field works (Moeciu 2017, Cheile Grădiștei 2018 and 2019), symposiums and conferences aimed at helping students present and improve their research (PhD Students Conference 2015; Students National Symposium of Human Geography and Tourism 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). She was also part of the organizing team of international conferences held in Bucharest (2011, 2016 and 2017). She is the author of a book on lifestyle and health (Lifestyle and its impact on the health of the population. Case study: Ialomița County) and several articles related to health status and wellbeing (Socio-economic deprivation and health outcomes in Ialomita County (Romania), Influence of population lifestyle on local health profile. Case study: Ialomița county). She is member of the committee „Health and the environment” (International Geographical Union), and she earned numerous research mobility scholarships in order to participate to international conferences and summer courses (Thailand 2018, Indonesia 2018, Vietnam 2019).

Dr Anca Tudoricu is a human geographer specialised in tourism. Her research interests are mainly related to her area of expertise, focusing on event tourism, tourism interpretation, destination identity, heritage and museum studies and others as such. Being an active member of Universitur Association, she used her research skills in designing and conducting processes of needs analysis in various projects for youth, coordinating international and national teams (STAGED! Struggling Against Gender-based Discrimination through Youth Work in EU and Asia, GAGA Global Action for Gender Awareness, AGORA – Youth Workers’ Actions in Public Spaces for Social Change, Mind the Gap), which enhanced her knowledge on interculturality and expanded her interests towards gender studies and geography of health. She is also working as a national and international trainer in the youth field, developing new pedagogical approaches by aiming to combine formal and non-formal education.

Claudiu Bita graduated from the Faculty of Geography of the University of Bucharest, specializing in Tourism Geography. His bachelor’s thesis was held in 2017 and was entitled: Cultural Bucharest: techniques for promotion and territorial marketing. He followed the master’s program Territorial planning and management of urban and rural localities, with the dissertation entitled Dysfunctions in the development of areas adjacent to Bucharest. Case study: The city of Bragadiru. Currently, he is a PhD student, working at the thesis The analysis of the dysfunctionalities in the periurban area of Bucharest and also working as a specialist in the field of territorial planning and urbanism. His areas of interest are: sustainable urban development; urban growth, urban sprawl; dysfunctionalities in the development of new urban spaces; plans and methods of urban development; new rules in urban planning and urban development; models of periurban development, development at the urban fringe, and others.

Daniel Bucur is a PhD student at the “Simion Mehedinti Doctoral School” in the field of Human Geography after finishing his bachelor and master studies at the Faculty of Geography – University of Bucharest. His main research field is health geography mirrored by his many conference participations, with his latest being at the International Conference – Environment at a CrossrOads: SMART approaches for a sustainable future ECOSMART in 2019 entitled Access of Population to Pharmaceutical Services in Municipality of Bucharest”.

Madalina Giusca graduated the Faculty of Geography – University of Bucharest in 2014, and followed her master studies there and specialized in Management of Resources and Tourist Activities, with the dissertation Brâncoveanu Monastery and its role in tourism development in Sâmbăta de Sus in 2016. She is currently a PhD student with the thesis Symbols, practices and religious destinations in post-communist Romania. Socio-cultural dimensions and influences in the landscape. During her doctoral years, she participated at numerous conferences and workshops of interest for the field of her thesis, both national and international (Paris, 2018, FRH- Future for Religious Heritage Conference at UNESCO Center,  with the paper “The distribution of holy shrines and pilgrimage destinations across Romania” and in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria – International students and doctoral scientific conference – New Business Models in Tourism, University of Veliko Tarnovo, with paper “Romania’s Religious Touristic Potential among economical valuation and sustainability”). She published among others assessment of the religious-tourism potential in Romania.

Florin-Alexandru Zaharia is a PhD student and a human geographer with interest in the sphere of applied geosciences such as transport geography, human settlements geography, urban morphology and urban planning, social geography, geostatistics, geopolitics, geodemography and social vulnerabilities. He has a particular interest in modern research tools and methods in the field of geographies such as GIS and GIScience, and the use of remote sensing to create geographical data. He is author of articles that analyze historical GIS, transport geography, structural funds and spatial planning. He participated and organized national and international conferences (2017, 2018), and earned numerous scholarships (2014, 2015, 2016). He has a four years’ experience in public administration, proved by his work as an expert and personal consultant in the Ministry of Transport (2016-2019) and he is presently the personal advisor of the Minister of European Funds.

Angelo-Andi Petre is an undergraduate student specializing in human geography, with a great interest in geodemography, spatial analysis, spatial statistics, social geography and geography of education resources. He is a silver medalist at the International Geography Olympiad for Central, South and South-Eastern Europe in 2019 in Belgrade, Serbia and also a national champion at the National Geography Olympiad in 2017 and 2019 at the National Contest for Scientific Communications. His research fields focus on spatial accessibility to essential services, especially educational facilities, as well as foodscape characteristics and the impact on health and population wellbeing. He is also interested in the analysis of human capital and the links between health status and education level on the allocation of human capital. He was an intern at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection where he focused on social vulnerabilities and access to social services and he is a representative of the University of Bucharest in the CIVIS Student Council.