Coordinator: Dr. Monica DUMITRAŞCU (interim)

Focus:
• Complex knowledge of regional geomorphology of Romania in Anthropocene;
• Climate change impacts on geomorphic processes;
• Investigation of natural hazards with special reference to landslides, erosion processes, and earthquake-triggered geomorphic processes;
• Identification, mapping and characterisation (by means of quantitative and qualitative indexes) of the territorial units' elementary and complex topoclimates. The results are correlated with the regime of major climatic elements, marked out on various-scale topoclimatic maps and discussed in studies of climate-risk phenomena that have cascading effects on all environmental components;
• Research variables (genetic features, climatic events, durations and intensity) underlie the elaboration of climate maps to facilitate measures for diminishing destructive effects and ensuring sustainable development;
• Geographical studies on water resources; assessing their repatition in various geographical units;
• Biogeographical studies related to the consequences of man-induced pressures on animal's and plant's habitats and their geographical distribution.

Researchers: Daniel CIUPITU; Dr. Mihaela CONSTANTIN; Dr. Cristina DUMITRICĂ ; Dr. Sorin GEACU; Dr. Loredana HAVRIŞ ; Dr. Marta JURCHESCU; Dr. Cătălina MĂRCULEŢ ; Dr. Mihai MICU; Dr. Alexandra-Roxana VRÎNCEANU

Coordinator: Dr. Mihaela SIMA

Focus:
• Integrated assessment of the impact of natural and human-induced processes on the environment, in the Anthropocene, at different spatial scales;
• Assessments on vulnerability, adaptation and resilience to hazards and climate change at different scales;
• Spatial assessments and modelling of land use /land cover dynamics for various geographical regions;
• Geographical researches on natural protected areas and ecosystems services in Romania;
• Integrated spatial analyses on the urban-rural interactions and synergies;
• GIS, Remote Sensing techniques and process-based modelling on human-environment relationships, impacts and futures of natural resource use and societal development;
• Impact of mining activities on sediment dynamics and water quality of river basins.

Researchers: Dr. Constanţa Emilia BORONEANŢ ; Dr. Nicoleta DAMIAN; Dr. Diana DOGARU; Dr. Ines GRIGORESCU; Dr. Gheorghe KUCSICSA; Dr. Gabriela MOROŞANU; Dr. Ana POPOVICI

Coordinator: Dr. Bianca MITRICĂ

Focus:
• Population assessment having in view demographic decline, aging process, internal and external migration, ethnic minorities;
• Studies on employment and unemployment, territorial discontinuities of labour market in Romania, social development, growth and marginalizated areas;
• Assessing the role of towns as dynamic polarising centres, territorial inequalities in urban network and structure, urban sprawl, socio-economic dynamics of the metropolitan areas in Romania;
• Studies on the Romanian villages, current processes in rural areas, rural development and agriculture dynamics;
• Studies on deindustrialization, reindustrialization and economy tertiarization, economic clusters and foreign investments;
• Studies on transport network distribution, multimodal transport, accessibility, interconnectivity, volume and distribution of traffic and transport network development;
• Geographical studies of socio-economic disparities in the border areas, the role of Euroregions in regional development, cross-border cooperation and geopolitical issues in Danube Basin and Black Sea Basin;
• Local and Regional Development, Spatial development, Territorial cohesion, Competitiveness, Regional specialization and trans-sectorial cooperation;
• Assessment of socio-economic vulnerability to the natural extrem phenomena related to climate change and earthquakes at different scales (national, regional and local).

Researchers: Dr. Dragoş BAROIU; Dr. Laura LUPU; Dr. Irena MOCANU; Dr. Mihaela PERSU; Dr. Claudia POPESCU; Dr. Radu SĂGEATĂ ; Dr. Paul ŞERBAN