Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU - Cohesion, a common European value

Interim Director-general

CĂTĂLIN-ȘTEFAN POPA Director general interimar

 

CĂTĂLIN-ȘTEFAN POPA

Interim Director-general

 

ACADEMIC PROFILE

  • Associated docent, “Karl-Franzens” University of Graz, Austria (since 2021);
  • PhD coordinator, School of Advanced Studies, Romanian Academy;
  • Member of the Council of PhD Studies, Doctoral School of History and Archeology of the Romanian Academy.

 

STUDIES

  • BA and MA in Theology, Faculty of Theology of the University of Craiova, 2006-2012 (valedictorian).
  • BA in Law, “Nicolae Titulescu” Faculty of Law of the University of Craiova, 2007-2011.
  • MA in European Law, “Simion Bărnuțiu” Faculty of Law of the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 2011-2012.
  • BA in Philosophy, specializing in the Philosophy of Culture, Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Bucharest, 2010-2013.
  • PhD studies, “Georg-August” University of Göttingen, Germany, 2012-2015.
  • PhD in Theology, “Georg-August” University of Göttingen, 2015.
  • Habilitation in Church History (Kirchengeschichte) from the “Karl-Franzens” University of Graz, Austria, receiving the title of dr. habil (venia legendi) in 2021.

 

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

  • Scientific Researcher at the Institute for the History of Religions, Romanian Academy, since 2019.
  • Director of the Department for the History of the Cultures and Civilizations of the Levant, Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, 2019-2024.
  • Interim Director-general, Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, since 2025.

 

COURSES TAUGHT AND SCIENTIFIC COMPETENCIES

PhD studies: The culture and doctrine of Eastern Christianity; The historiography of the religious communities of the Middle East; The history of Syriac manuscripts; Traditions and confessions  in Jerusalem.

 

PRIMARY AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Tradition and society in the history of the Middle East;
  • Material Christian heritage: Syriac manuscripts;
  • Syriac written culture;
  • Cultural diplomacy and the evolution of interfaith dialogue in the Mediterranean Basin throughout history.

 

SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE

  • Author of over 40 articles published in ISI-rated scientific journals indexed in international databases, as well as volumes of collected works;
  • Coordinator of the volume The Levant, Cradle of Abrahamic Religions (LIT Verlag, 2023), published in the Studien zur Orientalischen Kirchengeschichte series;
  • Author of two monographs published in German and, respectively, English, by two prestigious publishing houses, and editor of 3 English-language volumes of collected studies.
  • Editor-in-chief of the scientific periodical The International Journal of Levant Studies;
  • Founding editor-in-chief of the scientific publication The Syriac Annals of the Romanian Academy (SARA), established as part of the Section of Historical and Archaeological Sciences of the Romanian Academy.
  • Author of the Romanian-language translation of a volume penned by Professor Martin Tamcke, Christen in der islamischen Welt. Von Mohammed bis zur Gegenwart (Nemira Publishing House, 2018).

 

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

  • Member of international programmes and networks of advanced study, collaborator in collective interdisciplinary research projects.
  • Participant with scientific presentations at over 50 international conferences and congresses, invited lecturer at several prestigious universities.
  • Laureate of the “Nicolae Iorga” Prize in History, conferred by the Romanian Academy (December 13th, 2018) for the volume Giwargis I (660-680). Ostsyrische Christologie in frühislamischer Zeit.