Darie Cristea

The University of Bucharest is recruiting 2 postdoctoral researchers for the project “Developing Social and Security Resilience by Promoting Excellence in Research (ESSER-SECURE)” , a strategic academic partnership focused on security and societal resilience. These are fixed-term, part-time positions under the UEFISCDI-funded call PN-IV-P6-6.1-CoEx-2024-0084 , running until 31 December 2027 , with a workload of up to 3 hours per day per position. The posts sit within the Center of Excellence in Security and Societal Resilience (ESSER-SECURE) , coordinated by the “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy and involving Babeș-Bolyai University, the University of Bucharest, and the “Carol I” National Defense University. The research environment is interdisciplinary, with a strong emphasis on sociology and social-science approaches to contemporary security challenges. Research themes include future violent extremism and radicalization , crime–terror–hybrid threat nexus , critical infrastructure resilience , human and organizational factors in cybersecurity , information manipulation and cognitive security , national and societal resilience in the AI era , and methodologies for mapping and investigating security processes . The project also highlights topics such as online and hybrid radicalization, youth vulnerability, AI-generated extremist content, deepfakes, cybersecurity culture, public trust, foreign information manipulation and interference, democratic resilience, and anticipatory governance. Eligibility is limited to applicants who hold a doctoral degree obtained no more than 8 years before the competition date, in the fundamental field of Social Sciences . The call requests solid research experience, with the profile indicating 4–10 years of experience, and requires excellent English and Romanian at mother-tongue level . Candidates should be prepared for research, data collection and analysis, article and report writing, participation in scientific events, and administrative or organizational duties. Physical presence in the office is required. The selection process includes an eligibility check and application review, a written exam based on a research proposal of up to 5 pages , and an interview in English . Applications must be sent by email to [email protected] . The application deadline is 8 September 2026 at 14:00 (Europe/Bucharest) .

The University of Bucharest is recruiting for 5 fixed-term, part-time PhD researcher positions within the ESSER-SECURE project, Developing Social and Security Resilience by Promoting Excellence in Research (PN-IV-P6-6.1-CoEx-2024-0084). These roles sit in the Center of Excellence in Security and Societal Resilience (ESSER-SECURE), a strategic partnership involving the Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy, Babeș-Bolyai University, the University of Bucharest, and the Carol I National Defense University. The position is based at the University of Bucharest in Bucharest, Romania, and is available on a temporary contract until 31 December 2027. The workload is up to 4 hours per day per position, with on-site presence required. The call is aimed at doctoral students who can provide proof of enrollment in a doctoral program in the fundamental field of Social Sciences. Research themes are broad and highly relevant to contemporary security and societal challenges. Suggested areas include future violent extremism and radicalization in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe; crime-terror-hybrid threat convergence; critical infrastructure resilience and the social/human dimensions of cybersecurity; information manipulation and cognitive security in the Romanian-language ecosystem; national and societal resilience in the AI era; and transversal methodologies for mapping security processes, foresight, and anticipatory governance. The project also highlights topics such as deepfakes, synthetic propaganda, trust in digital services, cybersecurity culture, and indicators of societal resilience. Applicants must submit a short research proposal (maximum 5 pages, Times New Roman, 1.5 spaced) aligned with the project’s areas of interest. The selection process includes an eligibility check, application review, a written exam based on the proposal, and an interview conducted in English. Required language competence includes good English and excellent Romanian. The call is clearly oriented toward social science doctoral researchers interested in security studies, sociology, radicalization, resilience, cyber and information threats, and methodological innovation in the study of security ecosystems. Applications should be sent by email to [email protected] before the deadline of 8 September 2026 at 14:00 (Europe/Bucharest).