Texas State’s Ionut Popescu awarded with Heritage Foundation prize

Featured Faculty

Lane Fortenberry | August 18, 2023

Ionut Popescu, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, has been awarded the 2023 Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prize by The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank.

Popescu was rewarded the $15,000 prize for his scholarship and teaching with a focus on freedom, opportunity, and traditional American values.

Popescu recently attended a 4-day summer seminar with other prize winners in Washington to meet with national security experts, congressional staffers, and media representatives. He also participated in seminars exploring how academic scholarship can influence Washington policymaking and national debates.

“I am very honored to be selected for this prestigious prize, and it was a wonderful opportunity to present my ideas on U.S. foreign policy and national security in front of Washington audiences,” said Popescu.

With his new affiliation with the foundation, Popescu can facilitate more internship and job opportunities in Washington for Texas State University political science students.