Team
FOUNDERS
Cristian Lascu
Geologist
Cristian is the one who discovered Movile Cave and recognized the unique nature and enormous potential that this special cave has to deepen our knowledge through scientific research in an extremely little-known environment.
Dr. Serban Sarbu, PhD
Biologist
Serban was, and still is, the driving force behind the ground-breaking scientific research in Movile Cave. He was the first one to recognize the potential of this unique ecosystem in understanding chemosynthesis based environments.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mihai Hristescu
President
Mihai is a veteran speleologist and experienced cave diver. He is the main explorer of Polovragi Cave and an active participant in national and international speleological expeditions.
Dr. Alexandra Hillebrand
Voiculescu, PhD
Executive Director
In addition to being our resident researcher, Alexandra is our liaison with the government regarding the protected areas we work in. Together with Vlad, she hosts a summer camp for children interested in nature, caves, and environmental protection.
Mihai Baciu
Technical Director
Mihai is an accredited instructor of several globally recognized diving agencies: TDI/SDI/ERDI, NAUI and IANTD. He is the main Romanian explorer of Izverna Cave, the Romanian cave with the longest submerged passage (700 meters) and an active member of numerous national and international caving and cave diving expeditions.
Dr. Florian Baciu, PhD
Treasurer
Florian, in his role as physicist, is the one who proved that the Movile cave ecosystem had been isolated from the surface, showing that although the surface environment contained traces of radioactivity related to the Chernobyl disaster, there were no such traces in the atmosphere, soil, or water inside the cave.
Andreea Cohn
Secretary
Andreea is an SDI/TDI diving instructor. She is an award-winning underwater photographer and underwater filmmaker. She is also an accomplished cave diver and member of numerous international cave diving expeditions.
GESS CENTRE ADMINISTRATORS
Vlad Voiculescu
Mangalia GESS Lab
Vlad keeps the lab in top working order and is also responsible for scheduling lab-related activities. One of his main duties is to facilitate access to Movile Cave. Together with Alexandra, he hosts a summer camp for children. Vlad is an experienced speleologist and an excellent diver.
Constantin (Costel) Vinau
Bat House, Jupanesti
Costel is a founding member of GESS and a diver since the early 1980s. He worked for many years at the Emil Racovitza Speleology Institute and was one of the first explorers of Izverna Cave. His experience as a builder makes him an extremely qualified person to manage the GESS base in Jupanesti.