After graduating from the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest, I relocated to Italy to undertake an MSc in Economics in Turin and an MA in Enterprise Management in Ancona, followed by my doctoral studies in Economic Geography at the University of Sussex. During the 15-year period I spent in Italy, I had the opportunity to work in the field of active labour policies at top institutional level. This invaluable experience crystallised into my PhD, which focused on the last Keynesian labour market policy in Italy, the so-called ‘socially useful jobs’.

Since moving into an academic environment, the key driver in my research interest is understanding how globalization has impacted entrepreneurship, especially in developing countries which have joined global value chains with the hope of sharing significant economic gains of global development. I am particularly interested in how small and medium enterprises work in challenging situations, both as a liberating force for development but also requiring new solutions, the establishment of social and business networks and positive institutional environments. The role of national and international institutions in promoting or hindering this development is another key topic in my research.

MAIN RESEARCH GRANTS

May 2024 – March 2025, IDCF grant, University of Sussex (£50,000), Principal Investigator

Project title: Harvesting Hope: Integrating Technology, Heritage and Women's Voices in Syrian Agriculture.

January – July 2022, SSRP grant, University of Sussex (£15,000), Principal Investigator

Project title: Agricultural Voices Respond to Syrian Farmers. Using digital infrastructure to improve food security and environmental conservation in Northwest Syria.

January – July 2021, IDCF- SSRP grant, University of Sussex (£25,000), Principal Investigator

Project title: Welcome to the Syrian Farmers Podcast! Promoting sustainable agri-food value chains in Syria through podcasting.

This project won the Emerald Real Impact Award for Interdisciplinary Research in 2021. More information is available at https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/about/our-awards/real-impact-awards/real-impact-award-winners#idra.

Detailed information about "AGRICULTURAL VOICES SYRIA" can be found on the project website: https://agricultural-voices.sussex.ac.uk/