Short Description

Cristina Elena Popa Tache is an Associate Professor and researcher in the fields of public international law and European Union law, with more than 16 years of academic and scientific experience developed in Romania and through her engagement with prestigious international institutions, research centres and academic forums.

At Danubius International University, she serves as Vice-Rector for Scientific Research, Innovation and Interinstitutional Initiatives and as Associate Professor, teaching Public International Law and EU Institutional Law. Her teaching and research activities also extend to European Union law, international organisations and international relations, communication and new technologies law, and digital public administration law. Previously, she served as Dean of the Faculty of Law and International Governance, with responsibilities encompassing academic development, research, study programmes, internationalisation and institutional cooperation.

She holds a PhD in Law, specialising in Public International Law and the legal framework governing foreign investment, having obtained the highest academic qualification at the “Acad. Andrei Rădulescu” Legal Research Institute of the Romanian Academy. Her international academic and research training includes the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, as well as research activities at the Institut de Recherches Europe-Asie, Aix-Marseille Université, and within the European Society of International Law.

An important milestone in her academic career is her status as Academic Visitor / Visiting Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge, where she conducted research on international investment law, international State responsibility and the legal implications of emerging technologies, including the reconceptualisation of investment treaties in the context of artificial intelligence.

Her scholarly activity is closely connected with major international academic organisations and networks. She is actively involved in the European Society of International Law (ESIL), where she has held coordination and leadership responsibilities within scientific groups and structures dedicated to international law, human rights, diversity and academic representation. She is also involved in COST Association projects, is a member of the ISDS Academic Forum, is affiliated with international research and expertise networks, and serves as an Academic and Scientific Expert for the European Parliamentary Research Service, contributing specialised expertise to legal, institutional and public policy analysis.

In parallel, she plays an active role within CIRET Paris – Centre International de Recherches et Études Transdisciplinaires, where she serves as Deputy Secretary-General, researcher and coordinator of international scientific initiatives. She is the Founder and Director of the International Observatory for Law and Transdisciplinarity and President of the CIRET Ethics and Guidance Committee. Her work within these structures focuses on advancing transdisciplinary research, international cooperation and the development of new research methodologies.

She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Existential Threats and Risks to All (EXTRA) initiative of the World Academy of Art and Science, where she contributes to the development of prospective approaches to systemic risks and to the integration of legal, institutional, ethical and human rights dimensions into their analysis.

Her editorial and scholarly activity is equally extensive. She is Editor-in-Chief of the International Investment Law Journal, where she is involved in editorial management, peer review and the development of cooperation with international researchers and editors. She is also involved in international editorial and scholarly projects, including with Springer Nature, Cambridge University Press, L’Harmattan Paris and Palgrave Macmillan, contributing to the advancement of contemporary legal scholarship and to the development of research directions at the intersection of law, society and global transformations.

The author of a substantial body of scholarly works, studies and academic contributions, Cristina Elena Popa Tache has consistently devoted her research to some of the most current and advanced issues of contemporary law. Her research focuses particularly on the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, the evolution of international investment law, global governance, human rights, systemic and prospective risks, and the relationship between law and transdisciplinarity. Through this orientation, her scholarly work seeks not only to analyse existing law, but also to explore new conceptual and methodological frameworks capable of responding to ongoing legal and societal transformations.

A distinctive dimension of her research is her focus on legal foresight, anticipatory law and anticipatory governance, as well as on the development of legal methodologies adapted to contemporary complexity. This orientation is reflected in her participation in recent international conferences and research projects addressing anticipatory law, artificial intelligence, existential and systemic risks, diversity in international law and new methodologies for legal research.

In recognition of her scholarly contribution to the fields of international law and international relations, she was awarded the “Nicolae Titulescu” Prize of the Romanian Academy in 2024, in recognition of the value of her academic contribution.

As Vice-Rector for Scientific Research, Innovation and Interinstitutional Initiatives, she is committed to strengthening a university culture founded on research excellence, innovation, internationalisation and cooperation. Her work focuses on developing international projects and consortia, expanding academic networks, fostering interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, developing strategic partnerships and enhancing the international visibility of Danubius International University.

Drawing on her experience in higher education, research, international academic organisations and networks, and the coordination of scientific initiatives, she aims to contribute to strengthening a university capable of transforming frontier research into academic innovation, international cooperation and institutional impact.