Dr. C. Ciobanu is a University Professor of Economics and Coordinator of Economics Programs in the College of Engineering and Technology at Virginia State University (VSU), USA. He was elected President of the University Senate for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, served as the University Promotion and Tenure Committee (UPTC) Chair for 2016–2019, and acted as a member of the International Education Advisory Council. A strong advocate of VSU’s historic status as a student-centered institution, Dr. Ciobanu has been a dedicated contributor to the Virginia Social Science Association (VSSA) since 2006. Within VSSA, he participated in many annual meetings (including 2006–08, 2011, 2014, etc.), presenting research on democratic and economic reforms, diplomacy and frozen conflicts in post-Soviet states, the world financial crisis and new global alliances, challenges of emerging markets, the economics of artificial intelligence, etc., engaging attendees with his unique and genuine expertise. Inspired by these interactions, he launched and moderated 20 International Conferences and 6 Economic Forums at VSU (2006–2024), featuring VSSA scholars and Virginia faculty, senior officers, Ambassadors and diplomats of the US Department of State, Homeland Security, USAID, NSF, Fed of Richmond, UN, and the World Bank as keynote speakers, opening new opportunities for VSU students and faculty.
Dr. Ciobanu received his Ph.D. from Moscow M. Lomonosov State University, ex-Soviet Union. Prior to joining VSU, Dr. Ciobanu’s career spanned a global range that includes serving as the Ambassador of Moldova to the United States and Canada (1999–02); Deputy Foreign Minister (1998); member of Moldova’s government and its first Minister of Privatization (1994–97); Economic Adviser and Deputy Chief in the office of the first President of the Republic of Moldova, Mircea Snegur (1992–94); and Adviser and Interpreter to the former President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev (1987–1991). Dr. Ciobanu has an impressive four-decade academic career, teaching students in universities in Russia (Moscow), Moldova (Chisinau), and the United States, including VSU, for the last 20 years, where his long-standing VSSA involvement has enriched his commitment to social science education.
After completing his professional diplomatic tour of duty, Dr. Ciobanu resumed his academic career as a professor and researcher. A Senior Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, National Endowment for Democracy, and the US Institute of Peace (2002–2004) in Washington, D.C., he is a noted author of several books. His key works include a textbook, Economics, Society, Technology and You (second edition); a political treatise, Frozen and Forgotten Conflicts in the Post-Soviet States: The Genesis, Political Economy and Prospects for Solutions, translated into Romanian by Cartea Romaneasca Educational (Iasi); and over 100 articles published in international journals and print media, including in the U.S., France, Italy, Moldova, Romania, and Russia. Dr. Ciobanu is working on a third edition of his textbook and a new book, Economics of Artificial Intelligence: How AI Is Changing the Markets and Reinventing Economics, informed by his global research and presentations, rich and unique professional experience.
Dr. Ciobanu’s other accomplishments include a series of articles and interviews on the Revolutions of 1989 in Romania and other former socialist countries, the global financial crisis, and emerging markets prospects for democratic transformation and economic reforms; presentations on the economics of artificial intelligence at the University of Oxford (UK); the Paris International Colloquium on “Velvet” Revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe; and contributions at VSSA conferences on the challenges of democratic and economic reforms and frozen conflicts in Moldova, Ukraine, and other post-Soviet states. His VSSA engagement inspired him to establish a network of international partnerships at VSU with the Romanian-American University, Moldova State University, Technical University of Moldova, and others, supported by a $400,000+ grant for joint teaching, research, and academic exchange.
Dr. Ciobanu was awarded the highest honorific title, Doctor Honoris Causa, by the Romanian “Apollonia” University of Iasi (2020) and the Technical University of Moldova (2023), the Fulbright Specialist designation by the US Department of State (2022–25), and the VSU Stelar Star Outstanding Faculty Award in teaching, research, and service (2020/21). Professor Ciobanu is a contributing member of the American Economic Association, the American Association of University Professors, and the Virginia Social Science Association, where his service underscores his dedication to advancing social science in Virginia, Dr. Ciobanu being presented the 2025 Scholar Award in Political Science and Economics at the 98 Annual Meeting of the VSSA.
Dr. Ciobanu may be reached at cciobanu@vsu.edu.