Viviana Anghel

Viviana Anghel (PhD) is the Vice President of WIIS Romania. She has significant experience in managing several projects implemented with non refundable funds for civil society, applied research for public policies (such as the first local democracy barometer in Romania (2013, 2015), assessing the impact and effectiveness of public policies and interventions on vulnerable groups based on the needs analysis. She is mainly involved in projects related to security culture, good governance and the Black Sea Region, especially regarding the cooperation between Romania, Ukraine and Moldova.She served as an advisor to the Minister of Justice (2014-2017) and President of the Senate (2020) with attributions related to evaluation, analysis and public consultation for the foundation of public policies and law making process.Viviana Anghel also served as advisor to the Minister of Culture (2017-2019) – in charge with the relation with the subordinated public companies and member of the working group for the elaboration of the Strategy for National Culture and Patrimony. She is academically focused on public policy analysis and evaluation of public services provision such as security and democracy culture, neo-institutional analysis and efficiency of political institutions from a political sociology approach – as a way of connecting politics with society. She is an Associated Lecturer at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, The Faculty of Political Science. prospect.

Ana-Maria Anghelescu

Ana-Maria Anghelescu is an associated assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest (SNSPA), Romania, as well as an expert and project coordinator within the European Studies Unit of the European Institute of Romania. Ana-Maria successfully defended her PhD thesis titled Romania’s relations with the states of Central Asia in European context: The challenges and the perspectives of niche diplomacy, focused on evaluating the material and institutional capacity of Romania to position itself as a middle power on the European continent. She conducted field research on local perceptions of the European Union in Central Asia, with the support of an Erasmus+ mobility at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. Ana-Maria’s research interests focus on EU foreign policy, EU-NATO relations, Romanian foreign policy, minority rights and Central Asian studies.

Antonia Colibasanu

Antonia Colibasanu (PhD) is a senior geopolitical analyst, focusing on strategic competitive intelligence analysis. She is Geopolitical Futures’ Chief Operating Officer. Colibasanu has joined Geopolitical Futures team as Senior Analyst in 2016, after working for more than 10 years with global analysis firm Stratfor in various positions, including Partner for Europe and Vice-President for International Marketing.In february 2020, Antonia joined the teaching staff of the National University for Political Studies and Public Administration, as a full time lecturer on geopolitics, geoeconomics and economic diplomacy. She works closely with bestselling authors George Friedman and Robert D. Kaplan and served as Honorary Adviser to Romania’s Minister of Energy.She is a trainer on geopolitics for European Affairs program at the Romanian European Institute. Dr. Colibasanu has also worked and developped various courses and educational programs with the Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest. Among other academic credentials, she holds a doctorate in international business and economics from Bucharest’s Academy of Economic Studies, where her thesis focused on country risk analysis and investment decision-making processes within transnational companies. She also holds a master’s degree in international project management. She is an alumna of the International Institute on Politics and Economics, Georgetown University. http://www.colibasanu.ro

Liliana Filip

Liliana Filip is an international relations and international security analyst, being the founder and president of the Political Research Group, a NGO where she is conducting international  projects focused, as topics, on political leadership, the role of political parties in our democracies, political systems, government affairs, transatlantic relations including NATO role, military affairs, defence industry and security studies. After completing specialized courses at the Oberammergau NATO School and participating in training programs for NATO education and training entities, she is a NATO expert for quality assurance management in education. She is also a PhD candidate at the Doctoral School of the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest, where, under the guidance of Professor Ioan Mircea Paşcu, conducts a research on “The Forms of International Interventions after 9/11”. Her publications and interventions in national and international conferences have often referred to the international security, transatlantic relations, european affairs, conflict analysis, political systems as well as military affair.

Angela Gramada

Angela Gramada (PhD) is the president of Experts for Security and Global Affairs Association (ESGA). She is a experienced researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry. Skilled in Political Science, Post-Soviet Space, Analytical Skills, European Integration, and International Relations. Strong research professional with a PhD focused in International Relations from National School for Political and Administrative Studies. She is former fellow at International Visitor Leadership Program (VLP). Currently, she is one of the best analyst of political, socio-economic and security issues in the ex-soviet space (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova etc). See Angela Gramada on Youtube Chanel – Series of Analysis

Simona Hobincu

Simona Hobincu (PhD) is the President of WIIS Romania and has been a WIIS supporter and member since 2006. She has also OSCE training on National Action Plan (Women, Peace and Security). She achieved extensive experience and knowledge of the challenges and best practices to advance women’s inclusion in the field of security and peace. She has experience in managing projects implemented with non refundable funds for civil society and applied research. Simona is an experienced PhD with demonstrated history of working in research, higher education, and publishing in the field of international relations. She has a strong education in the field of international relations and she is academically focused on American Foreign and Security Policy, NATO, Nuclear Security and Russia. Among other academic credentials, she holds a doctorate in political science from SNSPA, where her thesis focused on American Foreign and Security Policy after 9/11. She also graduated the Management Faculty (The University of Economic Studies, Bucharest). Other short term education: Counter-Terrorism Studies (ICT Herzlya), NATO Studies Center (Bucharest), World Institute for Nuclear Security, HarvardX, USIP.

Alina Inayeh

Alina Inayeh joined GMF in 2007 as the director of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, a project dedicated to strengthening cooperation and fostering development in the Black Sea region. She is an active practitioner in the field of international development and democratization, having run the Freedom House office in Ukraine in 2004 and the NDI office in Russia in 2000-2003, with a focus on civic education and political processes. She has trained NGOs throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union on issues related to NGO development and democratization. She was a leading civic activist in the 1990s in Romania and an active promoter of the NGO sector in the country.

Gabriela Ivan

Gabriela Ivan is the International Partnerships Manager of FIRST Tech Challenge Romania, the biggest robotics and STEM education program for high school students in Europe and third in the world. She is actively engaged in empowering communities and her work in the fields of science, technology, education, culture advances the Sustainable Development Goals. With a keen interest in the areas of peace and security, global affairs, diplomacy and international cooperation, she is devoted to building international partnerships and has organised programs with Embassies and institutions around the world, in cities like Washington, New York, Berlin, Paris, Athens. She finished her Bachelor’s Degree in International Economic Relations at the American University of Bucharest and is now attending two Master’s Degree Programs – Diplomacy and Negotiations and Development, International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest. She is the 2021 International Leadership Program Fellow, NGO Management (U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy in Romania), the 2019 Science Engager of Year Finalist (Falling Walls Foundation Berlin) and the 2018 Global Leaders Fellow for Emerging Nonprofit Executives (Better World Strategies US).

Iulia Joja

Iulia-Sabina Joja, Ph.D., is a senior fellow and director of the Middle East Institute’s Black Sea Program. She teaches European security as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and George Washington University and co-host the podcast “Eastern Front“. Her research and teachings focus primarily on European and Black Sea security. Prior to this, Iulia Joja served as an adviser to the Romanian President and as a deputy project manager at NATO Allied Command Transformation in Virginia. She has worked with the Romanian delegation to the United Nations, the European Parliament, and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was also a visiting scholar at the Center of Military History and Social Sciences of the German Armed Forces in Potsdam/Berlin and a DAAD post-doctoral fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Iulia’s PhD thesis on Romania’s strategic culture was published by Columbia University Press in 2019.

Doris Manu

Doris Manu currently working for EEAS. Previously, she worked as policy advisor in the Government of Romania. Previously, she was a junior diplomat of the European External Action Service. She completed several trainee ships in the European Parliament, the European Commission, but also in diplomatic missions in Serbia and Kosovo. Doris holds a Master’s Degree in European Politics from the College of Europe, a Master’s degree in South-Eastern European Studies from the University of Belgrade and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Bucharest. Doris is fluent in Romanian, English, French, Italian and Serbo-Croatian.Executives (Better World Strategies US).

Liliana Popescu

Liliana Popescu is Professor Dr. Habil. at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA) Bucharest (former Vice-Rector) – presently the Director of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, Department of Government (1996). Liliana was adviser to the minister and Director of the Policy Planning Unit within the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1998 – 1999). Her publications include the books: The Construction of the European Union. Bucharest: Ed.C.H.Beck, 2009. Gender Politics. Bucharest: Ed. Maiko, 2004. Individual Freedom and Political Manipulation. Bucharest: Politeia-SNSPA, 2003. Founder and co-editor of the Romanian Journal of Society and Politics (since 2001). Contributor to Foreign Policy Romania. Liliana Popescu has a history of pioneering in the area of civic and public campaigns: in support of promoting women experts in international relations in the public space (2020); in support of democracy in Romania (Respect platform, 2017); the first Diversity Festival (2004, as one of the initiators and organizers); the first public protest against domestic violence (2000 – CNN, BBC, ABC etc presented the event).

Mihaela Raileanu

Mihaela Răileanu (Ph.D.) is an independent researcher. She has been one of the few Romanian thinkers related to climate security. She is the author of some articles and two books on climate change: Climate changes: ethical and political challenges (2014) and Games of Climate Change (2016). Her academic interests are related to international security, gamification, and behavioral sciences. Since 2015, she has started a new project, Art of government, to understand better the relations among history, Medieval and Modern politics, and governance. In 2019, she published a book on this topic: Art of the government in the game of politics. She is involved in teaching at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration. At the same time, she is involved in consulting projects in the private sector. As a writer, she has some ongoing projects, including an online course and a podcast. 
Mihaela Răileanu has two master degrees in International Relations, Conflict Resolution, and European Studies (one of them at Central European University), a Ph.D. in Political Science, and a postdoctoral research fellowship in Political Science at World Economic Institute from Bucharest. She served many years as a radio host and TV journalist, and as a spokesperson for Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.