Nationality:
Date of birth:
Place of birth:
________
Sept 2010 - present
Sept 2006 –June 2010
June 2010
Oct 2009
________
Oct 2010 -present
July 2011
Aug 2011-
Sept 2011
2008-2010
________
Sept 2011
Sept 2010
Nov 2009
Oct 2009
Aug 2008
2005-2010
2009
________
Sept 2011 -
Present
Dec 2010-
present
Oct 2010 -
Present
Oct 2010 -
Present
Apr 2011
Nov 2008
________
Languages:
PC knowledge:
Programming:
Interests: |
Romanian
09/08/1991
Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania
Education
University College London (UCL), United Kingdom
MSci Astrophysics with emphasis on Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics and Computing. Expected date of graduation: June 2014;
First year overall grade: 92.8%. Expected grade: First.
‘Vasile Lucaciu’ National College, Baia Mare, Romania
Graduated in top 2% of the class – secondary school GPA 9.93/10.
Romanian Baccalaureate Diploma (graduation exam: 9.70/10).
Subjects: Mathematics (10/10), Physics (10/10), Romanian (9.10/10)
SAT – standardised test for college admission in the US
Subjects: Maths (800/800), Physics (800/800), Chemistry (750/800), Reading (580/800), Writing (630/800).
Practical Experience
ExoCafe, University of London Observatory (ULO), London
Regularly monitored transiting extrasolar planet systems using University of London Observatory telescopes (programme run by Dr. Steve Fossey);
NEON (Network of European Observatories in the North) Observing Summer School, Molėtai, Lithuania
Youngest participant, the only participant who is not currently studying for a PhD;
Attended lectures given by top scientists in the field;
Gained practical experience in observational techniques using the 1.65 m local telescope and the FIES spectrograph on the Nordic Optical Telescope (2.5 m) in remote control;
Performed reduction and analysis of photometric and spectroscopic data using IRAF and Midas packages;
Gained team work experience while conducting a research project on photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy of an open cluster in a group of four;
Developed my communication/presentation skills by presenting the results clearly and confidently in front of the other participants, lecturers and organisers.
Department of Physics, University of Heraklion, Crete, Greece
One month internship under the supervision of Dr Pablo Reig;
Spent one week observing Be/X-ray binary stars using the 1.3 m telescope at Skinakas Observatory;
Reduced and analysed the data using IRAF package on Unix system.
‘Vasile Lucaciu’ Astronomy Club, Baia Mare, Romania- Founder and tutor
Taught theoretical and observational astronomy to secondary school students, some of them achieving high performances in competitions – Gold Medal with the Romanian team in the 5th International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2011;
Raised the equivalent of 3,000 ₤ to buy telescopes and equipment;
Organised various events to increase the scientific awareness and to present the excitement of Astronomy, especially during the International Year of Astronomy, 2009.
Academic awards
Halley Prize for the Best performance in 1st year Astronomy at University College London;
Gold Medal in the 4th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), Beijing, China;
Silver Medal and Special Prize for the best result in the Observational Round in the XIVth International Astronomy Olympiad (IAO) held in Hangzhou, China;
Honourable Mention in the 3rd International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, Teheran, Iran;
Bronze Medal in the 2nd International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, Bandung, Indonesia;
Numerous mentions and prizes in the National Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiads and in the National Physics Olympiads;
Certificate of Distinction for superior performance on the American Mathematics Competition.
Extracurricular Activities
Transition mentor, UCL Physics and Astronomy Department
Met regularly with ten first year students and provided them with help and advice in the first term of their studies;
Run Peer Assisted Learning sessions to support students academically and to help them develop their learning skills;
The Royal Astronomical Society, London - elected member
Attended talks and lectures given by some of the best researchers in the field.
Event Horizon – UCL Physics and Astronomy Society – Media and Communication officer (2011-2012) and First Year representative (2010-2011)
Organised guest lectures, physics colloquia and workshops, social events;
Tasks included: coordination and maintenance of website, poster design and general advertising;
UCL Maths Challenge, Volunteering Services Unit
Organised mathematical competition for primary school pupils from London;
Presented mathematics in a way that would get the students engaged in the subject;
Exposed children to a university setting and lead them to aspire to higher education in the future;
National Astronomy Olympiad, Baia Mare, Romania – Part of the organizing team and National Committee member
Raised funds to organise the event;
Designed the website, the logo and posters;
Participated in the evaluation jury and marked exam papers.
‘9 for a New World’ Romanian-Chinese Cultural Project, Shanghai, China
Qualified after taking a test on Chinese history and geography;
Spent two weeks in Shanghai where I learnt about the Chinese language and culture.
Skills
Hungarian: mother tongue English: fluent (TOEFL iBT test score 105/120)
Romanian: mother tongue French: advanced knowledge
Windows XP/Vista/7, Linux Ubuntu, IRAF, HTML, MS Office, Open Office, LaTex
Adobe Photoshop CS5, Macromedia Dreamweaver;
MatLab, C/C++, Borland Pascal
I have a great interest in travelling, learning about new cultures, history and geography. I also enjoy ballroom dancing; I used to be a member of ‘Prodance 2000’ dancesport club (2006-2009) and I continue to dance at university. |