Affiliated experts
We work with a variety of internationally-trained experts on key public policy issues.


Our experts
Get to know our affiliated experts
Our team of affiliated experts is formed of people that were trained at top international universities. With expertise and experience from public institutions, think tanks, and private companies, they are relevant voices in key fields.
George Farauanu
Expert, Environment & Development
George Farauanu
Expert, Environment & Development
<h1><img class="size-medium wp-image-205 alignleft" src="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/profil_farauanu-300x300.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" srcset="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/profil_farauanu-300x300.jpg 300w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/profil_farauanu-100x100.jpg 100w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/profil_farauanu-600x600.jpg 600w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/profil_farauanu-150x150.jpg 150w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/profil_farauanu.jpg 769w" alt="" width="300" height="300" />George Farauanu</h1>
<h2>Executive Director, <em>Environment & Development</em></h2>
George is a co-founder of the Institute and leads our Environmental and Development Program. He is a standing member of the Directory Board of the Institute and contributes to our strategic planning. He is the co-founder of <em>Confidas</em>, a fin-tech start-up that helps Romanian entrepreneurs perform business-to-business due diligence, with an investment of over 130.000 euros from several investors.
He studied law at the Ovidius University in Constantan and is currently pursuing a LL.M. at the University of Bucharest in business law. He is an expert in public acquisitions and project management for European funds.
- Email: george.farauanu@quartet.ro
Andrei-Nicolae Popa
Expert, National Security
Andrei-Nicolae Popa
Expert, National Security
<h1><img class="size-medium wp-image-207 alignleft" src="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA-300x300.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" srcset="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA-300x300.jpg 300w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA-100x100.jpg 100w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA-600x600.jpg 600w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA-150x150.jpg 150w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA-768x768.jpg 768w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-POPA.jpg 900w" alt="" width="300" height="300" />Andrei-Nicolae Popa</h1>
<h2>Expert, <em>National Security</em></h2>
Andrei is one of the co-founder of the Institute and works on our national security and cybersecurity projects. He is a standing member of the Directory Board of the Institute and contributes to our strategic planning. He is an expert of security policy, specializing on national security. He studied political science, law, and national security at the University of Bucharest and the "Mihai Viteazul" National Intelligence Academy, where he was the <em>Valedictorian. </em>He studied in China and the Czech Republic. He worked extensively on legislative affairs, public advocacy, as well as a trainer.

Alexandru Bajdechi
Expert, Good Governance
<img class="alignleft wp-image-203 size-medium" src="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1620843859057-300x300.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" srcset="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1620843859057-300x300.jpg 300w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1620843859057-100x100.jpg 100w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1620843859057-600x600.jpg 600w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1620843859057-150x150.jpg 150w, https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/1620843859057.jpg 718w" alt="" width="300" height="300" />
<h1>Alexandru Bajdechi</h1>
<h2>Executive Director, <em>Good Governance & Rule of Law</em></h2>
Alexandru is an <em>attorney-at-law</em> in the Bucharest Bar, with full rights. He is also a co-founder of the Institute and leads our Good Governance & Rule of Law Program. He is a standing member of the Directory Board of the Institute and contributes to our strategic planning. He studied law at the University of Bucharest, where he received his LL.B and an LL.M in public acquisitions, concessions, and public-private partnerships. Currently, he is a doctoral researcher at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (<em>Academia de Studii Economice</em>), where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in constitutional law.
Alexandru has a long experience as an expert on public policy issues, especially education and transportation. He worked with public officials, decision-makers, and MPs on various pieces of legislation.
Website: bajdechi.ro
Alexandru Manda
Expert, Social Policy & Education
Alexandru Manda
Expert, Social Policy & Education
<h1><img class="size-medium wp-image-9177 alignleft" src="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/288850039_5623224837712118_7338732639841809439_n-298x300.jpeg" alt="" width="298" height="300" />Constantin-Alexandru Manda</h1>
<h2>Executive Director, <em>Social Policy & Education</em></h2>
<p>Alexandru is the co-founder of the Institute and leads our Social Policy and Education Program. He is a standing member of the Directory Board of the Institute and contributes to our strategic planning. He is also a Program Coordinator and Expert in Public Policy at the Romanian Academic Society. He is a relevant voice in the Romanian public space on topics related to education and social policy. In 2020, he coordinated the Special Report of the Romanian Ombudsman regarding public scholarships for primary and secondary education students.</p>
<p>He also led a national campaign that resulted in the allocation of over 130 million euros by the Romanian Government for the payment of past due scholarship and welfare provisions to primary and secondary education students. He also coordinated an advocacy campaign that increased the allocated budget for education with 30 million euros in 5 Romanian counties.</p>
<p>For his activity, he was awarded, in 2021, with the "European Youth of the Year" and was included in the <em>30 under 30</em> of the Romanian edition of Forbes. Currently, Alexandru continues his graduate education in law at the University of Bucharest and is a fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar, being part of the Public Policy New Voices Europe program.</p>
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- Email: alexandru.manda@quartet.ro

Marius Ghincea
Expert, Foreign & Security Policy
<img class="size-medium wp-image-200 alignleft" src="https://quartet.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img-Marius-1-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />
<h1>Marius Ghincea</h1>
<h2>Executive Director, <em>Foreign & Security Policy</em></h2>
Marius is the co-founder of the Institute and leads our Foreign and Security Policy Program. He is a standing member of the Directory Board of the Institute and contributes to our strategic planning. Marius is pursuing a Ph.D. in Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute, in Florence.
He is a Research Fellow at the Hertie School of Government, Berlin and a teaching assistant at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, in Bologna and at the School of Transnational Governance in Florence, Italy.
<p class="cf-tweet-this cf-tt-target cf-tt-element-attached-bottom cf-tt-element-attached-center cf-tt-target-attached-top cf-tt-target-attached-center">His research agenda focuses on the causes of foreign and security policy consensus in liberal democracies and has expertise on issues related to EU’s foreign and security policy, global political ordering, Black Sea security, and transatlantic relations. He also provides policy-oriented consultancy to various private and public actors.</p>
<p class="cf-tweet-this cf-tt-target cf-tt-element-attached-bottom cf-tt-element-attached-center cf-tt-target-attached-top cf-tt-target-attached-center">Prior to joining the European University Institute in 2019, he worked for various think tanks specialized in foreign and security policy, political risk and provided freelance assistance to interested actors. He worked in Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the United States.</p>
<p class="cf-tweet-this cf-tt-target cf-tt-element-attached-bottom cf-tt-element-attached-center cf-tt-target-attached-top cf-tt-target-attached-center">His doctoral research project attempts to explain the sources of foreign policy consensus in liberal democracies by looking at strategic narratives of national identity and how these enable consensus by narrowing the space of legitimate and respectable political discourse and action. For this, he uses a research design that employs a triangulation of methods including discourse network analysis, elite interviews, and process tracing.</p>
- Phone: +40731080710
- Email: marius.ghincea@eui.eu