Mariela is Research Fellow at the Faculty of Health and Education and a member of the Institute for Children’s Futures. Her research interests encompass identity and wellbeing theories, in particular the recognition theory and the Capability Approach, children’s rights, and the ethics of care. She takes a multi-disciplinary approach in research, drawing on theories in sociology, psychology, and human rights to explore what makes a good life, particularly for young people, in contemporary society. She holds a doctorate in Social Sciences and a master’s in international human rights law from New College, University of Oxford. 

She is a former Head of the National Authority for Children’s Rights in Romania and former Policy Officer for the office of the European Commission in Romania where she was responsible for the EU intervention to reform the child protection system in Romania. Mariela co-founded the Oxford Children’s Rights Network and was a member of the expert group for the European Commission’s Guidelines for school leaders, teachers and educators on Wellbeing and mental health at school. She is the author of ‘Voices from the Silent Cradles’, a book which sheds light on children’s homes, foster care, domestic and international adoption from the perspective of the young people who experienced these types of care.