Wikipedia

Daniel David

For other people named Daniel David, see Daniel David (disambiguation).

Daniel-Ovidiu David (born 23 November 1972) is a Romanian academic and politician serving as Minister of Education and Research since 2024. He was the head of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy[1] of the Babeş-Bolyai University between 2007 and 2012. Daniel David is also an adjunct professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai[2] and is the head of the Research Program at Albert Ellis Institute[3] in New York.

Daniel David
David in 2025
Minister of Education and Research
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 December 2024
Prime MinisterMarcel Ciolacu
Cătălin Predoiu (acting)
Ilie Bolojan
Preceded byLigia Deca
Personal details
Born (1972-11-23) 23 November 1972 (age 53)
Satu Mare, Romania
OccupationPsychologist
University teacher

In 2020, he was elected rector of Babeș-Bolyai University.[4] Since 2022 he is a member of both Romanian Academy[5] and Academia Europaea.[6]

Education

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David was born in Satu Mare. In 1999 he obtained a Ph.D. degree in psychology from Babeș-Bolyai University with thesis Mecanisme inconștiente de reactualizare a informațiilor, under the direction of Ioan Radu.

Public activity and controversies

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Scholarships and salaries

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In 2025, Daniel David stated publicly that the scholarship system is "very complex" and that “properly covering it is not sustainable”, while specifying that scholarships would not be "simply cut", but reorganised according to criteria of “rationality and decency”.[7][8] Several outlets reported that the minister supported keeping only two types of scholarships, merit and social, while removing other categories.[9][10] A Factual analysis, cited by the press, described as truncated certain public claims about the scale of the system and the figure of “7 billion lei”.[11] In the same year, the press also noted contradictory official messages on whether salaries and scholarships would be fully covered for the whole year, recorded within a matter of months.[12]

Details about scholarhips

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In 2025, the cost of student scholarships is estimated at about 6.4 billion lei; cutting the system “back to the pre-law level” would reduce roughly two thirds of that amount, i.e. ~4.27 billion lei, equal to ~0.22% of the projected GDP of 1.912 trillion lei, while abolishing scholarships entirely would represent ~0.33% of GDP; regarding education salaries, no reductions are provided for 2025, since an emergency ordinance keeps gross public-sector pay at the previous year’s level, so the direct impact of any salary "cuts" on GDP is zero in 2025 (the announced measures target freezes/efficiencies, not nominal decreases).[13][14][15][16]

Budget impact of the announced measures

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In 2025, the total budget proposed for education was estimated at approximately 61.8 billion lei for schooling and 63.98 billion lei for the entire ministry after reorganisation, i.e. about 4.5% of GDP for education including all sources.[17][18] The cost of student scholarships was estimated by the press, based on official data, at around 6.4 billion lei in 2025, three times the Research budget.[19] In this context, the resetting of scholarships has a limited budgetary effect relative to the total allocation for education, a point also acknowledged by the minister, who presented the package as a set of “crisis survival” measures rather than structural reform.[20]

Requests for criminal prosecution

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In June 2025, the Union of Student Representatives and the Federation of Parents and Legal Guardians announced that they would file criminal complaints against the minister, alleging abuse of office for approving high school curricula without observing decision-making transparency and for proposals to reduce scholarships. The announcement was made through public press releases and picked up by the media. These requests are actions by organisations and do not amount to a decision by judicial authorities.[21][22][23]

CREIC UBB Cluj

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In autumn 2025, the relocation of some activities of UBB’s Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science to the CREIC and TEAM buildings in Cluj Innovation Park triggered student protests, citing conditions and travel logistics.[24][25] The UBB leadership announced timetable adjustments and the redistribution of some activities to central-area spaces in response to the demands.[26][27] In the same period, local media reported protests planned at public events attended by the minister.[28]

Political reactions

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A simple motion against the minister was filed in the Senate in September 2025; Daniel David stated publicly that he would resign if the motion were adopted.[29]

National achievements

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David created the first school of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in Romania, based on international principles, recognized as such by the founders of this field such as Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck; he and his trainee also extended the application of CBT in education (e.g., rational-emotive & cognitive-behavioral education) and organizational fields (e.g., cognitive-behavioral coaching). He is a Fellow in the Academy of Cognitive Therapy,[30] U.S.A. and the national representative in the Social Sciences Standing Committee at the European Science Foundation.[31] He is among those who introduced in Romanian academic psychology the evolutionary psychology and genetic counseling as modern interdisciplinary approaches between psychology and biology.[32] David reintroduced and up-dated the Retman concept, and is the coordinator of the team that created the comics, stories and cartoons with this character.[33][34]

He has promoted the reform of Romanian clinical psychology and psychotherapy based on modern principles.[35] Such a reform was necessary, taking into account that during the communist period of Romania both clinical psychology and psychotherapy were practically forbidden by the communist regime, and thus, the field was frozen in time. For example, after the communist era, Szondi and Lusher, among other projective test, were still commonly used for clinical testing.[36] David, who studied in the U.S.A. for both his doctoral and postdoctoral studies,[37] was one of the leaders of the first generations of psychologists after the anti-communist revolution of 1989, as since the 2000s, he has constantly been the most cited Romanian psychologist in the international literature.[38][39] Given that he had several governmental and professional positions/leadership, he marked the reform of the clinical field in Romania, helping in moving the field from a '70s style approach to the modern one.[35] For his merits in research and education he was knighted in 2008 by the President of Romania, in the National Order of Knights for Merit.[40] Also, for the advanced research programs that he has initiated, in 2014, together with other important contemporary researchers, he received the innovation award, part of the "Foreign Policy Romania" Gala.[41] In November 2017, he has been elected as the president of the Romanian Association of Psychologists, association which has been inactive for several years. The goals for his mandate are to reestablish the association as a professional and scientific body supporting the development of the professional practice in Romania.[42] In March 2020, he was elected as the Rector of Babeș-Bolyai University for a four years mandate.[43]

International achievements

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He has contributed to the assimilation of cognitive science principles in the clinical field.[44][45] A more specific contribution was focused on developing the theory and practice of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT/REBT),[46][47] which brought him both the Aaron T. Beck Award and the Albert Ellis Award of the International Institute for the Advanced Study of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health. In 2004 he was invited as "Guest Editor" by the Journal of Clinical Psychology to organize a special issue titled: "Cognitive revolution in clinical psychology: Beyond the behavioral approach" in order to present the state-of-the-art regarding the impact of the cognitive revolution on the clinical field.[48] As founding editor of the Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies (abstracted: SSCI/Thomson ISI Web of Science; SCOPUS; PsycInfo; IBSS and full text: EBSCO; ProQuest[49]), this journal, now known as Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies is a Journal focused on evidence-based practice, he has supported the evidence-based approach in the clinical field. At this moment, is co-editor of the prestigious Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.[50] In 2013, the two research platforms, The SkyRa Platform for Clinical Cognitive Neurosciences and the PsyTech-Matrix Platform in Robotics/Robotherapy and Virtual Reality Psychotherapy, that he is coordinating as part of the International Institute for the Advanced Study of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, have both been included in Mapping of the European Research Infrastructure Landscape (MERIL database).[51]

Selected publications

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  • David, D.; Matu, S.-A.; David, O. A. (2013). "New Directions in Virtual Reality-Based Therapy for Anxiety Disorders". International Journal of Cognitive Therapy. 6 (2): 114–137. doi:10.1521/ijct.2013.6.2.114.
  • David, D.; Montgomery, G. H. (2011). "The scientific status of psychotherapies: A new evaluative framework for evidence-based psychosocial interventions". Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 18 (2): 89–99. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2011.01239.x.
  • David, D., Lynn, A., & Ellis, A. (Ed.) (2010). Rational and irrational beliefs in human functioning and disturbances; Implication for research, theory, and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • David, D.; Szentagotai, A.; Lupu, V.; Cosman, D. (2008). "Rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and medication in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized clinical trial, posttreatment outcomes, and six-month follow-up". J Clin Psychol. 64 (6): 728–746. doi:10.1002/jclp.20487. PMID 18473339.
  • David, D. (2003). Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT); The view of a cognitive psychologist. In W. Dryden (Ed.). Theoretical developments in REBT. London: Brunner/Routledge.
  • David, D.; Brown, R.; Pojoga, C.; David, A. (2000). "The impact of posthypnotic amnesia and intentional forgetting on implicit and explicit memory". International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. 48 (3): 267–289. doi:10.1080/00207140008415246. PMID 10902293. S2CID 33859463.
  • David, D.; et al. (2002). "Romanian psychology on the international psychological scene: A preliminary critical and empirical approach". European Psychologist. 7: 153–160. doi:10.1027//1016-9040.7.2.153. doi:10.1027//1016-9040.7.2.153
  • David, D.; Schnur, J.; Belloiu, A. (2002). "Another search for the "hot" cognition: Appraisal irrational beliefs, attribution, and their relation to emotion". Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. 20 (2): 93–131. doi:10.1023/A:1019876601693. S2CID 141245612.
  • David, D.; et al. (2002). "The case of behavior therapy in Romania". Behavior Therapist. 21: 181–186.
  • David, D., & Brown, R. (2003). The impact of different directed forgetting instructions on implicit and explicit memory: New evidence from a modified process dissociation procedure. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 56A, 211–233.
  • David, D.; Montgomery, G.; Holdevici, I. (2003). "Romanian norms for the Harvard group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A.". International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. 51 (1): 66–77. doi:10.1076/iceh.51.1.66.14066. PMID 12825919. S2CID 43459067.
  • David, D (2004). "Special issue on the cognitive revolution in clinical psychology: Beyond the behavioral approach-Introductory remarks". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 60 (4): 351–353. doi:10.1002/jclp.10249. PMID 15022266.
  • David, D (2004). "Special issue on the cognitive revolution in clinical psychology: Beyond the behavioral approach-Conclusions: Toward and evidence-based psychology and psychotherapy". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 60 (4): 447–451. doi:10.1002/jclp.10257. PMID 15022274.
  • David, D.; et al. (2004). "The information-processing approach to the human mind: Basic and beyond". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 60 (4): 353–369. doi:10.1002/jclp.10250. PMID 15022267.
  • David, D.; Montgomery, G.; et al. (2004). "Discrimination between hopes and expectancies for nonvolitional outcomes. Psychological phenomenon or artifact?". Personality and Individual Differences. 36 (8): 1945–1952. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2003.08.013. PMC 2577572. PMID 18985169.
  • David, D.; Schnur, J.; Birk, J. (2004). "Functional and dysfunctional emotions in Ellis' cognitive theory; An empirical analysis". Cognition and Emotion. 18 (6): 869–880. doi:10.1080/02699930341000185. S2CID 145802428.
  • David, D.; Montgomery, M.; Macavei, B.; Bovbjerg, D. (2005). "An empirical investigation of Albert Ellis' binary model of distress". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 61 (4): 499–516. doi:10.1002/jclp.20058. PMID 15529301.
  • David, D.; Szentagotai, A. (2006). "Cognition in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies (CBT); Toward an integrative model". Clinical Psychology Review. 26 (3): 284–298. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2005.09.003. PMID 16325974.

References

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  1. ^ "Faculty/Staff". Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. 15 July 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Daniel-Ovidiu David | Mount Sinai - New York". Mount Sinai Health System. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Daniel David, Ph.D. |". albertellis.org. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  4. ^ "UBB Rector's Office". Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Academia Română: Daniel David - Psihologie, științe cognitive". Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  6. ^ "The Academy of Europe: Daniel David". Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Daniel David: Acoperirea burselor cu adevărat nu este sustenabilă; va fi o abordare pe criterii de raționalitate și decență". Agerpres. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Ministrul Daniel David: Nu ne apucăm să tăiem pur și simplu burse... 7 miliarde pe an ne costă toate bursele". Edupedu.ro. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Daniel David a anunțat că vor rămâne doar două categorii de burse. "Nu ne permitem mai mult"". Evenimentul Zilei. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Burse școlare care dispar în anul 2025–2026. Ce bani vor mai putea primi elevii". Antena 3 CNN. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Daniel David, prins în flagrant. Nu a spus tocmai adevărul despre sistemul de burse". Libertatea. August 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Ministrul Daniel David, în februarie 2025: Creșterile bugetare asigură salariile și bursele. Cinci luni mai târziu: "nu mai sunt bani"". Edupedu.ro. August 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Analiză. Bursele elevilor au ajuns în 2025 să coste bugetul 6,4 miliarde de lei… Programul de guvernare propune redimensionarea la nivelul de dinainte de lege (–2/3)". Edupedu.ro. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Buget 2025. Valoarea PIB este estimată la 1.912 miliarde lei". HotNews (după MFP). 31 January 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Daniel David: Avem un sistem complicat de burse… se ajunge la 7 miliarde lei alocați". Antena 3 CNN (Agerpres). 23 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  16. ^ "OUG privind măsuri fiscal-bugetare în 2025 – menținerea nivelului brut al salariilor în sectorul public" (PDF). Senatul României. February 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Bugetul educației pe 2025 – 8% din bugetul general, mult sub pragul de 15%". Edupedu.ro. February 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  18. ^ "Majorare importantă a bugetului pentru educație și cercetare în anul 2025". Ministerul Educației și Cercetării. February 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Analiză. Bursele elevilor au ajuns în 2025 să coste bugetul 6,4 miliarde de lei". Edupedu.ro. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  20. ^ "Daniel David, despre noile măsuri: nu sunt de reformă, sunt măsuri de supraviețuire în criză". Edupedu.ro. August 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Comunicat de presă – UER și FePAL cer urmărirea penală a ministrului Educației". Agerpres – Flux Comunicate. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  22. ^ "Acuzații de abuz în serviciu și pentru tăierea burselor, la adresa ministrului Educației, din partea UER și FePAL". Edupedu.ro. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Comunicat UER și FePAL – document" (PDF). UER – FePAL. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  24. ^ "Studenții UBB protestează împotriva desfășurării cursurilor la Cluj Innovation Park". Actualde Cluj. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  25. ^ "Studenții de la Mate-Info UBB ies din nou în stradă. Protest la Cluj în timpul vizitei ministrului Daniel David". Cluj24. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  26. ^ "Protestul studenților clujeni a dat roade. UBB a anunțat primele măsuri". Știri de Cluj. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  27. ^ "Ce soluții a găsit UBB pentru studenții de la Mate Info care au protestat împotriva mutării la CREIC". Ziar de Cluj. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  28. ^ "Nou protest anti CREIC. Studenții de la UBB îl așteaptă pe Daniel David în stradă". Ziua de Cluj. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  29. ^ "Plenul Senatului dezbate și votează moțiunea împotriva ministrului Educației Daniel David". Digi24. September 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  30. ^ "Academy of Cognitive Therapy". members.academyofct.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  31. ^ "Scientific Review Group : European Science Foundation". www.esf.org. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  32. ^ "editura polirom / catalog / carte - 2015". www.polirom.ro. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  33. ^ "RETMAN: Interventii psihoterapeutice pentru copii si adolescenti". retman.ro. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  34. ^ "The Retmagic of Retman - International Institute". psychotherapy.psiedu.ubbcluj.ro. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  35. ^ a b Popescu, Victor (17 August 2006). "Cultura". revistacultura.ro. Fundația Culturală Română. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  36. ^ Minulescu, Mihaela (2001). Tehnici Proiective. Bucuresti: Editura Titu Maiorescu. ISBN 978-973-98628-2-0.
  37. ^ David, Daniel (25 October 2014). "Academic CV" (PDF). Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babeș-Bolyai University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  38. ^ "Ad Astra - Cartea albă a cercetării din România". old.ad-astra.ro. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  39. ^ Dobrean, Anca; Matu, Silviu (2015). "INTERNATIONALLY ACTIVE, VISIBLE, HIGH IMPACT, AND EMINENT ROMANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS. A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS". Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies. 15 (1).
  40. ^ Decree of the President of Romania regarding the attribution of decorations, published in The Official Monitor, Part I, no. 52 1/23/2008. Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  41. ^ Diana Rusu. Gala Foreign Policy România: top 100 oameni care mișcă țara în direcții bune, Ziarul Adevărul, 25 February 2014. Accessed on 3 March 2014.
  42. ^ Romanian Association of Psychologists. Mesajul noului preşedinte al APR – Prof. univ. dr. Daniel David (noiembrie 2017), Romanian Association of Psychologists website, 27 October 2017. Accessed on 22 April 2020.
  43. ^ Babeș-Bolyai University. Mesajul Rectorului UBB la preluarea mandatului 2020-2024, News UBB, 13 March 2020. Accessed on 22 April 2020.
  44. ^ David, Daniel; Szentagotai, Aurora (1 May 2006). "Cognitions in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies; toward an integrative model". Clinical Psychology Review. 26 (3): 284–298. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2005.09.003. PMID 16325974.
  45. ^ David, Daniel; Miclea, Mircea; Opre, Adrian (1 April 2004). "The information-processing approach to the human mind: Basics and beyond". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 60 (4): 353–368. doi:10.1002/jclp.10250. ISSN 1097-4679. PMID 15022267.
  46. ^ David, Daniel; Lynn, Steven; Ellis, Albert (2010). Rational and irrational beliefs in human functioning and disturbances; Implication for research, theory, and practice. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195182231.
  47. ^ David, Daniel; Freeman, Arthur (2014). "Overview of cognitive behavior therapy of personality disorders". In Beck, Aaron; Davis, Denise; Freeman, Arthur (eds.). Cognitive therapy of personality disorders (Third ed.). New York: Guilford Press. ISBN 9781462518050.
  48. ^ "Cognitive Revolution in Clinical Psychology: Beyond the Behavioral Approach". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 60 (4): 351–451. April 2004. doi:10.1002/jclp.v60:4.
  49. ^ "Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies". Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  50. ^ "Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - incl. option to publish open access". springer.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  51. ^ AG, Avedas. "MERIL - RI Information System". portal.meril.eu. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
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