Sunday, February 24, 1974

Curriculum Vitae and List of Publications

Virgiliu Pop

Lic.Jur (Vasile Goldis / Babes-Bolyai), LL.M (Aberdeen), PhD Candidate (Glasgow);
Researcher, Romanian Space Agency
National Point Of Contact, Space Generation Advisory Council in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications;
Executive Member- Space Development Council, UK;
Director, Cosmica Network, Sweden.


Personal
Romanian [European Union] national, single, born on February 24th, 1974, at Corod, Romania.

Higher Education

  • 1998-2007 PhD Candidate in Public International Law / Space Law, University of Glasgow, Scotland. Holder of a three-year “University of Glasgow Postgraduate Scholarship” (1998-2001). Thesis topic: “Who Owns the Moon? Extraterrestrial Aspects of Land and Mineral Resources Ownership”.
  • 1996-1997 LL.M (1998) in International and European Law, University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Holder of a Foreign and Commonwealth Office “Chevening Scholarship” and of a University of Aberdeen “C.B. Davidson Bequest” studentship.
  • 1992-1996 Lic.Iur (1996) ("Licentiat in Drept" * LL.B Hons). Honors thesis presented at the "Babes Bolyai" University, Cluj-Napoca, following law studies pursued at the "Banatul" and "Vasile Goldis" universities in Timisoara and Arad (1992-1996). Declared the "Head of the Class of 1996"(Valedictorian) at the Law School of the "Vasile Goldis" University.

Professional Experience

Academic
  • April 2007 – curr. Researcher, Romanian Space Agency, Buchaerest
  • 8 July 2005 Lecturer – “Conservatism and the Challenges of the Contemporary World”, Romanian Conservative Party Summer School, Buzias (6 hours of lectures)
  • Nov 2002- Aug 2004 Lecteur – Legal English and Political Institutions, Université Lille 2, Lille, France (full time)
  • Oct 2001 – Jan 2002 Tutor / Demonstrator - Information Technology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (part time)
  • 24 Jul – 5 Aug 2000 Tutor – Space Law, 9th Summer Course in Space Law and Policy, ECSL, Cologne, Germany.
  • Oct 1999 – Jun 2002 Graduate Teaching Assistant – Information Technology, IT Education Unit, Glasgow University (part time). 620 hours of effective student contact (including the Strathclyde University position)
  • Jan – Feb 1999 Graduate Teaching Assistant - Public International Law, School of Law, University of Glasgow.
  • Dec 1997-Jan 1998 Trainee Researcher, GRIP (Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security), Brussels.

Legal
  • Jun - Nov 2002 Legal Assistant / Paralegal - Refugee Law, Paton Farrell Solicitors, Glasgow, Scotland
  • Nov 1997-1998 Legal Counsel / Jurisconsult, - Real Estate Law, EKS Corporation Ltd., Timisoara, Romania.

Advisory
  • Jun 2002-curr. Director, Cosmica Network – Sweden.
  • Apr 2002-curr. Project Director for Eastern Europe, Project Alien ™ - a space education initiative
  • Mar 2002-curr. European Co-ordinator, Yuri's Night (The Global Space Party).
  • 2001 - curr. Executive Member, Space Development Council (the main UK space policy group)
  • Aug 1999 – Feb 2002 Regional Representative – Europe, Space Generation Advisory Council in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications - http://www.spacegeneration.org/, organism with Permanent Observer Status to the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. From Feb 2002, reverted to State Rep.
  • Mar 1998-curr. Arbitrator on the list of the Commercial Arbitration Commission at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Timisoara.
  • Oct 1997-curr. External Advisor ("collaborator"), The Romanian Ombudsman, Bucharest.

Miscellaneous
  • 13 Sep – 3 Oct 1999 Receptionist for International Students, Accommodation Office, University of Glasgow.
  • Aug 1999 – Nov 2002 Senior Resident, various University of Glasgow student accommodations.
  • 5-11 Jun 1999 Steward at the EULAR’99 Conference, SECC, Glasgow.
  • 1992-1996 Freelance journalist.

Areas of Expertise and Interest
Public International Law (LL.M); Space Law; Space History; Space Policy; International Relations; Institution Building (UNSGAC); Research; Teaching; Information Technology; Foreign Languages.

Additional Qualifications

Summer and Short Courses
  • 25 Jun-24 Aug 2007 Summer Session Programme of the International Space University, Beijing, China (Certificate of Completion)
  • 10-21 Jun 2002 Lunar Base Design Workshop, European Space Agency - ESTEC (Certificate of Participation).
  • 17-22 Feb 2002 Space Station Design Workshop, European Space Agency - ESTEC, co-organized with Space Systems Institute - University of Stuttgart (Certificate).
  • 9 – 21 Jul 2000 Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, Rhodes, Greece.
  • 30 Aug–12 Sep 1999 Summer Course in Space Law and Policy, European Center for Space Law, Geneva, Switzerland.
  • 28 Jan 1999 Training for Graduate Teaching Assistants, Tutors and Demonstrators, University of Glasgow.
  • 6 Jul – 17 Aug 1998 “College Universitaire d’Etudes Federalistes”, Aosta, Italy. (Certificat d’Etudes Federalistes).
  • Feb 16-17, 1998 “United States and International Issues in Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty Laws”, US Dept. of Commerce, Commercial Law Development Program, Timisoara. (Certificate of Training).
  • 25 Aug - 14 Sep 1996 “EUROregions” - The Institute for Federalism of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland (Diplôme de qualité).
  • 22 Jul - 9 Aug 1996 "Public International Law Session", The Hague Academy of International Law, The Hague, The Netherlands (Certificate of Attendance).
  • 11 - 21 Sep 1995 "Course on the International Protection of Human Rights" -Poznan Human Rights Centre, Poznan, Poland (Diploma).
  • 12 - 23 Sep 1994 "Advanced Course on the International Protection of Human Rights" – Åbo Akademi University Institute for Human Rights, Turku, Finland (Diploma).
  • Oct 1993 - May 1994 CEP Course on European Communities at the Ecological University of Timisoara (Certificate).

Conferences
  • Oct 15, 2002 Panellist at the National Space Society Leadership Symposium, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Huston, TX.
  • Oct 2002 Member of the Organizing Committee and Moderator, Space Generation Summit, Houston, TX.
  • Oct 2002 World Space Congress, Houston, Texas, USA.
  • Jun 2002 36th ESLAB Symposium - Earth-Like Planets and Moons, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, NL.
  • Dec 2001 4-D Vision Workshop, Wadham College, Oxford University.
  • Dec 2001 UK Student Pugwash Conference on Science and Disarmament, Wadham College, Oxford.
  • Oct 2001 52nd International Astronautical Federation Congress, Toulouse, France.
  • Rapporteur, Session 4 of the 44th Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space.
  • Sep 2001 UN/IAF Workshop on "Making Space Applications Operational - Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Development", Albi, France
  • Sep 2001 2nd United Nations/Austria/European Space Agency Symposium on “Enhancing the Participation of Youth in Space Activities”, Graz, Austria.
  • Mar 2001 1st Convention of Lunar Explorers, Paris.
  • Oct 2000 51st International Astronautical Federation Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Sep 2000 1st United Nations/Austria/European Space Agency Symposium on “Enhancing the Participation of Youth in Space Activities”, Graz, Austria.
  • Mar 2000 “Science, Risk and the Regulation of New Technologies”, 21st Century Trust, Merton College, Oxford, UK.
  • Oct 1999 50th International Astronautical Federation Congress, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Jul 1999 Delegate at the Space Generation Forum of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space UNISPACE III, Vienna, Austria.
  • Jan 1997 489th Wilton Park Conference : “International Co-operation against Drugs and Crime: Are Societies Losing the War?”, Steyning, UK
  • Jan 1997 Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) Postgraduate Conference 1997, York, UK
  • Nov 1995 European Law Students (ELSA) Conference "Human Rights in Prison", Rome, Italy
  • Sep 1995 Student Conference About Nationalism "SCAN'95", Maribor, Slovenia
  • May 1994 Civic Education Project Student Conference "Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe", Kosice, Slovakia

Prizes
  • March 2007 Nominated for the 2006 Emme Award for Astronautical Literature, American Astronutical Society, for Unreal Estate: The Men who Sold the Moon
  • May 2004 First Place in the Alternative Category - Short Story of the “Why Mars” Contest, Mars Society, for An African Tale

Languages

Romanian (native), English, French (DALF), Spanish (DELE), Italian - all at high standards; Portuguese - fair.

Affiliations

International Institute of Space Law (member), European Center for Space Law (member); European Ombudsman Institute (Member); 21st Century Trust (Fellow); Chevening Society (Member); European Law Students Association (Member; former Vice-President at Aberdeen), New York Academy of Sciences (Member), Lawyers Christian Fellowship (Member), Lunar Explorers Society (Member).


Publications


Monographs


Refereed Articles

  • POP, VIRGILIU (2006), The Nation of Celestial Space, Space Policy, Volume 22, Issue 3, August 2006, pp. 205-213.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2005), Explorarea spatiului cosmic si arta sacra, Noua reprezentare a lumii, Volume 4, pp.153-167.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2001), The Men who Sold the Moon: Science Fiction or Legal Nonsense?, Space Policy, Volume 17, Issue 3, August 2001, pp.195-203.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2000), Appropriation in Outer Space: The Relationship Between Land Ownership and Sovereignty on the Celestial Bodies, Space Policy, Volume 16, Issue 4, November 2000, pp. 275-282.

Articles in Other Mass Media


Contributions in Books


Conference Papers

  • POP, VIRGILIU; PISO, MARIUS-IOAN (2007), The role of the Romanian Space Agency in the Management of Natural Disasters, as a possible model for small Asian countries. Conference on Space Law and Space Applications for Disaster Management in the Asia Pacific Region, Chiangmai, Thailand, 22 November.
  • POP, VIRGILIU; PISO, MARIUS-IOAN (2007), PECS – A Perspective from Cooperating States. Space for Humans – Past 50 Years and Beyond, Warsaw, Poland, 2 October.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2007), Space and Religion in Russia - From Cosmonaut Worship to the Orthodox Revival, ISU Alumni Conference, August 2007, Beijing, China.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2005), Space Exploration and Sacred Art, paper presented at the 1st IAA Conference on the Impact of Space and Society / 8th Leonardo - Olats Space and the Arts Workshop, Budapest, Hungary, 16-19 March 2005.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2004), Extraterrestrial Real Estate: Debunking the Myth, IISL-04-IISL.4.05, paper presented at the 47th Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space, 55th International Astronautical Congress, Vancouver, 6 October 2004.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2002), Lunar Exploration and the Social Dimension, paper presented at the 36th ESLAB Symposium - Earth-Like Planets and Moons, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 7 June 2002, Proceedings of the Earth-Like Planets And Moons Symposium ESLAB 36, Special Publication SP-514, European Space Agency Publications Division, August 2002.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2001), A Celestial Body Is A Celestial Body Is A Celestial Body, IISL-01-IISL.1.13, paper presented at the 44th Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space, 52nd International Astronautical Congress, Tolouse, 2 October 2001, to be published in Proceedings of the 44th Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2001), Lunar Real Estate: Buyer, Beware!, paper presented at the 1st Convention of Lunar Explorers, March 8-10, Palais de la Découverte, Paris.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2000), The Space Youth Advisory Council as an Intergenerational Factor in the Regulation of Outer Space, IAF-00-W.1.01, paper presented at the 30th International Astronautical Federation Student Conference, 51st International Astronautical Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2 October 2000.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2000), Security Implications of Non-Terrestrial Resource Exploitation, IISL-00-IISL.4.11, paper presented at the 43rd Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space, 51st International Astronautical Congress, Rio de Janeiro, 6 October 2000, Proceedings of the 43rd Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space, pp. 335-345.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (1994), The Division of Czecho-Slovakia and the Relationship between Czechs and Slovaks in Romania, paper presented at the Civic Education Project Student Conference “Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe", Zemplinska-Sirava, Slovakia.

Speeches

  • POP, VIRGILIU (2002), Property Rights Implications of a Lunar Base, Lunar Base Design Workshop, European Space Agency - ESTEC , 14 June 2002.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2001), Lunar Law, UKSEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) Conference "Moon on a Stick", Newcastle, November the 10th, 2001.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2001), Legal Implications of Peaceful Nuclear Explosions and Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space, UK Student Pugwash Conference on Science and Disarmament, Wadham College, Oxford University, December 15th, 2001.
  • POP, VIRGILIU (2001), Space Law in a Nutshell: Its Sources and Evolution, UK Student Pugwash Conference on Science and Disarmament, Wadham College, Oxford University, December 20th, 2001.

Dissertations

  • POP, VIRGILIU (1997), The Ombudsman of the European Union, a Dissertation submitted for the degree of LLM at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Miscellaneous

  • Besides academic works, I have published creative writing works, including a poetry book in Romanian (1993).