Career
Experience & Education
A working history across HCI research, data analysis, teaching, and student leadership — with a common thread of translating complex, technical work into something people can use and trust.
Work
Professional Experience
Co-founder
ECHO-AI
- Connecting Romanian researchers and professionals in the UK with students, teachers, and organisations back home, for a future where AI is used with skill, responsibility, and purpose.
- Organising webinars on AI knowledge and application, including design, impact, and ethics.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester
- GTA for Data Science and Cognitive Robotics (Y25/26 Sem 2), supporting labs, tutorials, and coursework with technical concepts and applied problem-solving.
- Provided academic feedback to undergraduates on data analysis methods and human-centred robotics concepts.
Data Analyst Supervisor
University of Manchester Students' Union
- Leading and overseeing a team of six data analysts delivering accurate, actionable insights and dashboards for business decision-making.
- Setting analytical standards, prioritising workloads, reviewing outputs, and mentoring team members.
Human-Computer Interaction Researcher
Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester
- British Aerospace Engineering Systems project bridging complex software functionalities and human understanding.
- Developed the framework for an LLM tool aiding code comprehension, documentation, requirement analysis, and change impact analysis — fostering trust in AI-powered explanations.
Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester
- Conducted Python analysis on user structures in egocentric visual lifelogging smart wearable device data.
AI Project Lead
180 Degrees Consulting
- Coordinated a team of consultants on a project for a US-based medical AI software for UK healthcare implementation.
- Leveraged big data sets to inform recommendations and create impactful action plans.
IT and Data Analyst
Finyx
- Worked with the IT research team on workflow automation and new platforms for cross-team collaboration.
- Applied Power BI and DAX to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Research Assistant, LifeLike Lab
Department of Psychology, University of York
- Data transformation and cleaning in R for a study on decision-making in threatening Virtual Reality environments.
- Assisted with UX design for the official University of York website.
Research Assistant, Action Perception Lab
Department of Psychology, University of York
- Independently learned MATLAB to build a tool morphing 2D/3D actions into realistic, human-like behaviour sequences.
- Designed and analysed experiments on the Formidableness and Friendliness dimensions of action perception, including the impact of autistic traits.
Beyond the desk
Leadership & Involvement
Course Representative
School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester
- Bridged students and academic staff through monthly liaison meetings, resolving assessment, timetable, and workload issues.
- Led the creation and analysis of student surveys to inform the 2025–26 degree structure redesign.
Department Representative
Department of Psychology, University of York
- Led two Student-Staff Forums, mediating discussions and fostering an inclusive academic community.
- Analysed Annual Review Data on degree outcomes and progression using R to inform University reporting and policy.
Content Creator
University of York
- Produced content across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, including a "My First Year" vlog featured on the University's official YouTube channel.
- Created a blog on student support services featured in the official University magazine; a viral TikTok reached over 8,000 views.
Instructor
International Dance Society, University of Manchester
- Delivered inclusive dance classes across skill levels and cultural backgrounds; designed movement-based lesson plans building confidence and self-expression.
International Summer Program Scholar
Seoul National University
- Fully-funded program in Marketing Management focused on the Global Competitiveness of Korean Companies.
- Presented data-driven recommendations on AmorePacific's Turkish market entry at company headquarters.
Education
Academic Background
Doctor of Philosophy
University of Manchester
- Recipient of the Dean's Doctoral Scholarship.
- Research areas: Human-AI Interaction, Software Engineering Practices, Workflows, Moral Agents, Ethical AI.
- Primary Supervisor: Prof. Caroline Jay; Secondary Supervisor: Dr. Emily C. Collins.
MRes Experimental Psychology with Data Science
University of Manchester · Grade: Distinction
- Modules: Advanced Data Skills, Open Science and Reproducibility, Mixed Models, Bayesian Statistics, Scientific Programming, Machine Learning, Qualitative Research Methods.
- Dissertation: "AI-Assisted Reasoning: Evaluating Interactive versus Static Advice on the Wason Selection Task."
BSc Psychology
University of York · First-Class Honours
- Advanced modules: Advanced Research Methods; Human Risk; Cognitive Anomalies, Decision-Making & Democracy.
- Dissertation: "Perceptions of Student Feedback Quality: A Comparative Study of AI-Generated and Human-Generated Content."
Toolkit
Skills & Languages
Software
R
Python
DAX
SPSS
MATLAB
Power BI
NVivo 14
Gorilla
Qualtrics
Microsoft Office
Methods & Tools
Project Management
Experimental Design
Qualitative Analysis
Behavioural Data Collection
Statistical Analysis
Scientific Writing
Languages
Italian — Native
Romanian — Native
English — Native-level