“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde
Can you share a bit about your background and journey in the field of computer science?
Since I was a teenager, I have been hooked onto software development and I constantly followed this path, both in school and in my profession. Initially, I had worked for the Informatics Department at the Transilvania University in Brasov, where I organized seminars and laboratories for different specializations (programming, formal languages and finite automata, databases) and finalized my doctoral thesis in applied mathematics. At the same time, I had a secondary job as a software developer for Polysoft Engineering Romania.
Afterwards, for a rather long time, I worked for the Waters Romania, going through various stages and roles specific to software development alongside very good professionals. I enjoyed contributing to the software architecture of several applications that are used in bio/pharma/food industries and clinical/forensics diagnostics laboratories.
In a surprising twist of life, I discovered another side of my profession when joining the Siemens Romania last fall. I became a member of the research group called Future Software Technologies, where experience and creativity combine. The best is yet to come!
What advice would you give young women aspiring to enter the field of science?
There are no limits to knowledge and passion for science, for any person. If you aspire to become a scientist, then follow your dream and surround yourself with highly trained professionals, and plan your success, step by step. Any bumps in the road you may encounter, they are part of your journey.
Given the increasing complexity of medical device security, collaboration and teamwork are crucial. Could you share an example of a successful collaboration within the ENTRUST project that highlights the importance of diverse expertise?
In software production, high quality can only be obtained through joint efforts of different highly trained specialists. The same happens in the case of the ENTRUST project, which brought together renowned partners, from the very beginning. They joined their technological and scientific capabilities to improve the security of the interconnected medical devices. Each ENTRUST partner is responsible for certain functionalities or stages within the project, depending on planned elements that are the responsibility of other partners, at the same time. This kind of cross-project generates a remarkably close collaboration between the specialists from universities and companies participating in the project.
Could you discuss any initiatives within the ENTRUST project that prioritize diversity and inclusion, and how these initiatives impact the project's outcomes?
When people from diverse backgrounds come together, they join a wide range of perspectives and ideas, creating more innovative and creative solutions. This is an environment I am used to and perhaps I’m taking it for granted too often. Working for ENTRUST project is a fantastic opportunity to meet different social and cultural backgrounds, such as race, ethnicity, gender, age – we are just all focused on improving the security standards for the connected medical devices! I had the pleasure to attend the ENTRUST 2nd plenary meeting in Eindhoven, where we had two productive days of technical discussions but also had a genuinely nice evening out, getting to know each other and enjoying our diverse backgrounds.
