I am a first generation immigrant from Romania and have lived most of my life in Montreal, Canada. As a result of my multicultural background, I fluently speak English, French and Romanian. My parents, like many immigrants, took my education very seriously from a young age and did not spare a single penny. I received my French education at Collège Regina Assumpta, one of the highest rated high schools in Montreal. Under the Quebecois CEGEP system, I made the switch to English at Marianopolis College, an institution whose goal is to prepare students for university.

With the goal of academic professorship in mind, I then went on to obtain a joint bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Physics and a master's of science from the prestigious McGill University. Although I am still a big proponent of the scientific method, I have decided against an academic career due to the current situation and the associated opportunity cost.

While for most of my education I have attended private institutions, I wholly support an affordable and accessible education to all. Without student loans and the scholarships sponsored by generous donors, I would not have been able to support myself. I look forward to paying it forward!

I love science and discoveries. I think that, ideally and in the grand scheme of things, every problem is worth thinking about and every answer is worth seeking. I am interested in new technologies and am amazed by what we have achieved so far. Learning new things and solving problems (Kattis, Project Euler) is something I hope I'll never get tired off.

I'm interested in computer science, in particular encryption and artificial intelligence. I believe those areas will be pivotal to the future of mankind. Encryption is ubiquitous in the digital era, it protects our privacy, authenticates us and it will even play an important role in the future of money (Bitcoin). Artificial intelligence is an inevitable field of study as we build evermore complex machines and programs. The ideas are wild (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and the repercussion even wilder!

While I support open source because, as a scientist, I value having robust tools available for the community, I have recently made the realisation the commercialisation of data and the lack of resources aimed at open data is the real issue we currently face. Open source software is useless if nobody can afford the data! Nevertheless, I believe that sharing and reviewing code as well as giving and receiving feedback is the best way to learn and progress in the long run, both as a society and as an individual. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when we stand on the shoulders of giants.

In my spare time, I try to stay active as much as possible. In the summer, hiking and biking are my main activities; I take full advantage of La Route verte which offers over 150km of scenic bike lanes along Montreal's shores. In the colder months, it's me versus the weights as I try to best my personal records in the squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press and pull up.

To supplement my fitness regimen and blow off some steam, I practice the French martial art Savate, a form of kickboxing where the fighter wears shoes, from which it derives its name. I hope to one day try Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu to broaden my horizons.

I have recently started rock climbing and I really enjoy the mental and physical challenges it offers. My husky keeps me busy and enjoys pulling me on my longboard!