Job Information
Organisation/Company: Universitatea din Bucuresti
Department: Centrul de Excelență în Securitate și Reziliență Societală (ESSER-SECURE)
Research Field: Sociology » Other
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Positions: PhD Positions
Application Deadline: 8 Sep 2026 - 14:00 (Europe/Bucharest)
Country: Romania
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Part-time
Hours Per Week: 20
Offer Starting Date: 28 Sep 2026
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
Reference Number: PN-IV-P6-6.1-CoEx-2024-0084
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
The University of Bucharest is holding a competitive selection process to fill 5 vacant positions within the project “Developing Social and Security Resilience by Promoting Excellence in Research (ESSER-SECURE),” PN-IV-P6-6.1-CoEx-2024-0084, for fixed-term, part-time positions.
The Center of Excellence in Security and Societal Resilience (ESSER-SECURE) was established as a strategic academic partnership between the following universities: the “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy (ANIMV—coordinator), Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB—partner 1), the University of Bucharest (UB – Partner 2), and the “Carol I” National Defense University (UNAp – Partner 3).
Period – determined contract until December 31, 2027.
Work schedule – maximum 4 hours/day for each position
Where to apply
E-mail: concursuri@hr.unibuc.ro
Requirements
Research Field: Sociology » Other
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Doctoral Students who provide proof of enrollment in a doctoral program in the fundamental field of Social Sciences.
Specific Requirements
Job-specific activities:
- Research, data collection, data analysis, and drafting of reports, articles, and other scientific research outputs, in accordance with the project plan; preparation for and participation in scientific events;
- Administrative and organizational tasks, in accordance with the project’s activities and events.
Physical presence in the office will be required.
Languages: ENGLISH (Level: Good); ROMANIAN (Level: Excellent)
Research Field: Sociology » Other
Years of Research Experience: 1 - 4
Additional Information
Benefits
Bibliography (1)
- Future Violent Extremism and Radicalization
Romania and CEE Early-Warning Cases
This research area investigates how radicalization and violent extremism evolve in technologically transformed societies and how early-warning systems can be developed.- 1.1 Emerging Radicalization Pathways
Online and hybrid radicalization trajectories
Romanian and CEE-specific radicalization patterns - 1.2 Youth, Identity, and Vulnerability
·Identity crises and radicalization
·Romanian youth attitudes and vulnerability indicators - 1.3 Technology and Extremism
·AI-generated extremist content
·Deepfakes and synthetic propaganda
Comparative case studies (Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, etc.)
- 1.1 Emerging Radicalization Pathways
- Crime–Terror–Hybrid Threat Nexus
Romania Validation Environment
This research area explores the convergence of criminal, terrorist, cyber, and hybrid actors.- 2.1 Transformation of Organized Crime
·AI-enabled organized crime
·Evolution of criminal networks in Romania and the region - 2.2 Crime-Terror Convergence
·Financial and logistical intersections
·Shared infrastructures and facilitators - 2.3 Hybrid Threat Ecosystems
·State and non-state cooperation
·Proxy actors and influence network
- 2.1 Transformation of Organized Crime
- Critical Infrastructure Resilience. Social and Human Dimensions of Cybersecurity
Romania Frontier Testbed
This research area focuses on resilience beyond technology by integrating organizational, societal, and behavioral dimensions.- 3.1 Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience
·Energy systems resilience
·Transportation and logistics security - 3.2 Human Factors in Cybersecurity
·Human error and cyber incidents
·Cybersecurity culture
·Insider threats - 3.3 Organizational Cyber Resilience
·Leadership and cyber resilience
Crisis management during cyber incidents - 3.4 Public Perceptions and Cybersecurity
·Citizen understanding of cyber risks
·Trust in digital services - 3.5 Cybersecurity Workforce and Competencies
· Future cybersecurity competencies
· AI and workforce transformation
- 3.1 Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience
Eligibility criteria
Doctoral Students who provide proof of enrollment in a doctoral program in the fundamental field of Social Sciences.
Selection process
- Eligibility check and application review
- Written exam: Upon registration, the candidate will submit a research proposal that falls within the project’s areas of interest, as outlined in Annex 1. The proposal must be no longer than 5 pages (Times New Roman, 1½-spaced), with a bibliography of the candidate’s choice
- Interview – the interview will be conducted in English.
Additional comments
Bibliography (2)
- Information Manipulation and Cognitive Security
Focus on the Romanian-Language Ecosystem
This research area examines how information environments shape perceptions, trust, and resilience.- 4.1 Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)
· Influence operations
· Romania and Black Sea information environments - 4.2 Cognitive Security and Trust
Epistemic security
Institutional legitimacy - 4.3 Polarization and Democratic Resilience
·Social fragmentation
Democratic vulnerabilities - 4.4 AI and Information Manipulation
·Deepfakes
· AI-enhanced disinformation - 4.5 Measuring Information Resilience
·Indicators of societal resilience
- 4.1 Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)
- National and Societal Resilience in the AI Era
- 5.1 Conceptualizing Resilience
- 5.2 AI and Societal Transformation
- 5.3 Democratic Resilience in Technological Societies
- 5.4 Community and Local Resilience
- 5.5 Black Sea and Regional Resilience
- 5.6 National and Allied Military Resilience
- Methodologies for Mapping and Investigating Security Processes: From Diagnosis to Foresight and Anticipatory Approaches
All Topics: Transversal Methodological Approach
This section is dedicated to the development, testing, and validation of methodological frameworks, analytical tools, and research approaches that can support all other research areas of the Center.- 6.1 Security Diagnosis and Assessment
- 6.2 Mapping Security Ecosystems
- 6.3 Intelligence Methodologies
- 6.4 Security Foresight and Futures Studies
- 6.5 Anticipatory Governance
- 6.6 AI and Advanced Security Analytics
- 6.7 Security Competencies and Professional Development
The complete bibliography for this course is available here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lllVOVIgXv15Sx-q_hhOmDUDOL5dNpPT
UB Project Coordinator,
Assoc. Prof. Darie Cristea, Ph.D.
Website for additional job details: https://unibuc.ro/despre-ub/cariere/posturi-cercetare/#1544693602256-6d9237ad-7fe3
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 5
Company/Institute: Universitatea din Bucuresti - Rectorat
Country: Romania
State/Province: Bucharest
City: Sector 5
Postal Code: 050663
Street: Sos Panduri 90
Contact
State/Province: Bucharest
City: Bucharest
Website: http://www.unibuc.ro/n/despre/
Street: Soseaua Panduri 90
Postal Code: 050663
E-Mail: concursuri@hr.unibuc.ro
Phone: 021.305.97.30
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