黑料福利网

What are you working on here at 黑料福利网?

鈥淚鈥檝e been an Assistant Professor in the Electromechanics and Power Electronics group (EPE) for 1.5 years. In this role, I combine my background in theoretical physics and mathematics with artificial intelligence  and data-driven research for electromechanical systems. My research focuses on high precision actuation systems and the identification of material parameters in aging models. Electrical motors, for example, degrade over time, and it鈥檚 important to understand what happens during this process and which components deviate from their initial performance. For this, I use measurements and mathematical models. Of course, I also teach students, and I really enjoy that. I find it inspiring to support them in their learning process and to watch them grow.

Where did you study for your master鈥檚 degree? 

鈥淚 graduated in theoretical physics in Romania. My studies were theoretical and fundamental in nature, and that was reflected in my master鈥檚 thesis. The dream of all theoretical physicists is to develop a theory in which all the fundamental forces, such as electromagnetism and gravity, can be explained in a unified way. This is known as the grand unified theory. In physics, the fundamental interactions are an expression of symmetries of our world, meaning that a unified theory brings all of these symmetries together. I find a lot of elegance and beauty in that idea, which is why I chose to focus on string theory and supersymmetry in my thesis. Even now, I incorporate the subtle relationship between symmetries, information, and complexity into my work 鈥� although my research is more applied these days.鈥�

Did you follow up with a PhD? 

鈥淵es, I moved to Amsterdam to do a PhD in condensed matter physics at Vrije Universiteit. I worked on modeling superconducting structures, which are essential for understanding how high-temperature superconductors work. This period was very valuable in helping me develop advanced skills in modelling and simulations.鈥�

Why did you make the choice to work at this university and this department? 

鈥淎fter my PhD, I joined Philips Research to broaden my expertise in machine learning and related fields, but I always intended to return to academia at some point. I love the diversity of topics, the educational component, and the intellectual stimulation that universities offer. That鈥檚 why I was very happy to join 黑料福利网 in 2024 and make the transition from industrial to academic research. I had already collaborated with 黑料福利网 before, and its rich research environment felt like a great fit for my versatile nature.鈥�

Why did you get into this particular research field?

鈥淭he field of electromechanics fascinates me because it involves complex multi-physics problems. I can also apply my background in mathematics and my experience in implementing machine learning techniques from my time at Philips in this research field. In addition, I鈥檓 drawn to the real-world impact this field has across various industries. The research group itself really spoke to me too. Not just because it鈥檚 a strong group, but also because it鈥檚 led by a woman. Historically, there haven鈥檛 been many female role models in the technical scientific community, so this feels very special to me. Working closely with professor Elena Lomonova and observing her dedication is inspiring. It allows me to learn from her and 鈥榮teal鈥� her professional secrets.鈥�

How does 黑料福利网 compare to other universities you studied/worked at?

鈥淚 did both my studies and PhD at non-technical universities, so it鈥檚 hard to compare directly. What I really appreciate about 黑料福利网 is the strong focus on innovation. I think that鈥檚 because the university has a strong connection to the industry.  For example, this week I鈥檒l be visiting a company in the region with one of my PhD student for a collaborative work session there. I haven鈥檛 experienced opportunities like this elsewhere.鈥�

What do you like most about working here?

鈥淚 really enjoy tackling challenging problems in my research. The rare moments when you discover something new or finally understand a difficult concept are incredibly rewarding. That element of surprise is what I鈥檝e always loved about research. Next to that, the interaction with my students and colleagues, and the overall culture of 黑料福利网, are very inspiring and stimulating.鈥�

What do you think about the lab facilities at the department?

鈥淚 feel really privileged to work in the largest electromechanics and power electronics lab in the Netherlands. I鈥檓 not an experimentalist myself, but I do rely heavily on measurements. The ability to measure whatever I need in our lab is  a huge advantage and it empowers my research significantly.鈥�

Do you benefit from the connections between 黑料福利网 and the industry in this region?

鈥淎bsolutely! Like many departments here, we host colleagues from various companies in the region, and I also have regular opportunities to visit companies. It鈥檚 very rewarding to engage with industrial partners, discuss technical challenges, and explore how we can address them together. I feel that we鈥檙e always on the cutting edge of innovation because of these collaborations.鈥�

What are you most proud of in your career so far? 

鈥淚 want to emphasize that most of my accomplishments are the result of teamwork. Also, for me, curiosity and humbleness are much more important than pride. These qualities are essential for perceiving and understanding the world. One of my favorite writers, Lev Tolstoy, describes it like this: 鈥楢ll, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.鈥� Another one of my favorite writers, Antoine de Saint-Exup茅ry, wrote: 鈥極n ne voit bien qu'avec le c艙ur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.鈥�  That said, I think we face challenges at every step in our career and the bigger the challenges, the better the rewards. The biggest reward in my career is the good track record of ideas that resulted in patents or impacted products in my previous work at Philips. I鈥檓 very proud of achieving that.鈥�

What are your dreams for the future?

鈥淚鈥檝e been deeply inspired by the topics that we develop in our research group, particularly the relation between complexity and accuracy in high precision systems. This ties back to my roots in physics. The tremendous advances in AI would not have been possible without the fast evolution of computational power per chips size. Behind more than 50 years of exponential growth in computing lies Moore's Law, the observation that the number of transistors on a microchip roughly doubles every 18 months, leading to exponential increases in computational density. This performance enhancement also leads to increased system complexity in high-precision systems. For instance, introducing smart materials like piezoelectric significantly enhance performance but also introduces non-linearities.

Additionally, these systems operate at the intersection of multiple physical domains, which further complicates modeling efforts and demands higher computational resources. There is a known relationship between complexity and accuracy that follows the information flow, resulting in a need for more informative data. There鈥檚 also a connection between symmetry and complexity, which is one of the most fundamental and profound concepts in science, underpinning everything from physics and mathematics to biology and art. This is where I want to position my research in the coming years.鈥�