Dr. Elena Simina LAKATOS
Affiliation: Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment "Ernest Lupan"
Country: Romania
Short Biography
Dr. Eng. Ec. Elena-Simina Lakatos, Senior Researcher I, habil., is the General Director and Senior Scientific Researcher at the Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment “Ernest Lupan” (IRCEM), Romania. She is one of the leading national and European experts in the fields of circular economy, bioeconomy, and the green transition. With more than a decade of experience at the intersection of research, public policy, and innovation, she has made significant contributions to the development and implementation of circular economy strategies, governance frameworks, and applied instruments at local, national, and European levels.
Her work focuses on evidence-based public policies, multi-level governance, circular and low-carbon business models, sustainable energy systems, climate resilience, and green-blue infrastructure. She has advanced expertise in life-cycle assessment tools, including LCA, PEF, and TEA, as well as in the EU Taxonomy and the Do No Significant Harm principle, ESG/CSRD reporting, circular public procurement, and industrial symbiosis, with applications in the construction, agri-food, energy, and waste management sectors.
Dr. Lakatos is actively involved in major European programmes, including Horizon Europe, Interreg Europe, the Interreg Danube Region Programme, Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and Erasmus+, where she has held roles as project manager, work package leader, and scientific coordinator. Her work has addressed topics such as the circular economy, sustainable food systems, hydropower refurbishment, energy self-sufficiency, and climate change adaptation. She has also contributed to the development of Romania’s National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan.
In parallel, she is a PhD supervisor in Engineering and Management in Agriculture and Rural Development at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca and has served as an associate lecturer at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. She is a recognised evaluator for European and national research and innovation programmes, a member of European Commission advisory structures, and Chair of the ASRO/CT 398 Technical Standardisation Committee on Circular Economy.
She is the author of more than 70 scientific papers indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, a reviewer and guest editor for prestigious international journals, and her current interests focus on accelerating the implementation of the circular economy through standardisation, digitalisation, and systemic innovation in support of climate neutrality and the Sustainable Development Goals.
FIELDS OF INTEREST:
Circular economy, bioeconomy, LCA, LCC, GHG, low-carbon technologies, CCUS, circular economy standardisation, green transition, evidence-based public policies, multi-level governance, industrial symbiosis, circular settlements, green-blue infrastructure, climate resilience, energy efficiency, digital product passport, EU Taxonomy and DNSH, PEF/TEA, circular public procurement, ESG and CSRD reporting, Scope 1–3 carbon accounting, circular construction materials, materials passport, BIM and digital twins, eco-design and reparability, waste management and EPR, social economy, nature-based solutions, living labs and co-creation.
Her work focuses on evidence-based public policies, multi-level governance, circular and low-carbon business models, sustainable energy systems, climate resilience, and green-blue infrastructure. She has advanced expertise in life-cycle assessment tools, including LCA, PEF, and TEA, as well as in the EU Taxonomy and the Do No Significant Harm principle, ESG/CSRD reporting, circular public procurement, and industrial symbiosis, with applications in the construction, agri-food, energy, and waste management sectors.
Dr. Lakatos is actively involved in major European programmes, including Horizon Europe, Interreg Europe, the Interreg Danube Region Programme, Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and Erasmus+, where she has held roles as project manager, work package leader, and scientific coordinator. Her work has addressed topics such as the circular economy, sustainable food systems, hydropower refurbishment, energy self-sufficiency, and climate change adaptation. She has also contributed to the development of Romania’s National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan.
In parallel, she is a PhD supervisor in Engineering and Management in Agriculture and Rural Development at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca and has served as an associate lecturer at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. She is a recognised evaluator for European and national research and innovation programmes, a member of European Commission advisory structures, and Chair of the ASRO/CT 398 Technical Standardisation Committee on Circular Economy.
She is the author of more than 70 scientific papers indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, a reviewer and guest editor for prestigious international journals, and her current interests focus on accelerating the implementation of the circular economy through standardisation, digitalisation, and systemic innovation in support of climate neutrality and the Sustainable Development Goals.
FIELDS OF INTEREST:
Circular economy, bioeconomy, LCA, LCC, GHG, low-carbon technologies, CCUS, circular economy standardisation, green transition, evidence-based public policies, multi-level governance, industrial symbiosis, circular settlements, green-blue infrastructure, climate resilience, energy efficiency, digital product passport, EU Taxonomy and DNSH, PEF/TEA, circular public procurement, ESG and CSRD reporting, Scope 1–3 carbon accounting, circular construction materials, materials passport, BIM and digital twins, eco-design and reparability, waste management and EPR, social economy, nature-based solutions, living labs and co-creation.