- Question:
I would like you to start by briefly introducing yourself, focusing on what you have accomplished since June 2016, when you were last interviewed for the BBU Academic Excellence (results) section.
Among my achievements of the past 6 years I have developed the paramagnetic electron resonance dating laboratory at the Centre for Environmental Radioactivity and Nuclear Dating which I lead, carried out fundamental and applied research investigations on quartz samples extracted from paleo-climatically relevant sediments located on four continents, thus successfully completing the ERC StG project “Integrated dating approach for terrestrial records of past climate using trapped charge methods-INTERTRAP” and secured ERC funding once more, through CoG grant “Reading provenance from ubiquitous quartz: understanding the changes occurring in its lattice defects in its journey in time and space by physical methods-PROGRESS”. This project will enable us to expand the laboratory by coupling luminescence and paramagnetic electron resonance dating techniques with spectrally resolved cathodoluminescence based on scanning electron microscopy.
I maintained and consolidated my team and I am proud of the six students who defended their doctoral dissertations under my supervision during this time, being awarded the highest distinction, and also of the five young research colleagues, four of whom were foreign nationals with whom I had the pleasure to collaborate during the post-doctoral research stages they carried out under my supervision here at BBU.
- Question:
You have recently won another ERC grant, an even more prestigious one this time, the ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANT, against strong competition. What did/does your recipe for success look like ?
According to the ERC, there are only two requirements: a great idea and a principal investigator with exceptional achievements. It is hard to explain what a great idea means, but the project must be ambitious. Because the project director in ERC projects is the Principal Investigator (PI), who must constantly be at the heart of the research, a good ERC project proposal should demonstrate the PI’s highest and strongest scientific ambition at the time. The proposal should take the PI out of their scientific comfort zone without breaking the connection with their areas of expertise. The proposed research cannot be incremental, it must have a strong basic research component (there are other funding lines for innovation) and ideally be based on clear hypotheses, in other words it should have at least one element of hypothesis driven research. It is therefore essential to find a balance between the project’s risk level, which must be high, and the PI’s already acquired skills, something that is not an easy task. The process involves diligence, hard work and perseverance, but how else could it be when you are aiming to achieve your greatest scientific ambition ?
- Question:
You have again chosen to implement this new grant at Babeș-Bolyai University (BBU). How did you come to this decision ?
With the implementation of the INTERTRAP grant, the BBU Luminescence Dating Laboratory has become one of the most competitive laboratories in the field worldwide. The coupling with the paramagnetic electron resonance dating laboratory has added a unique dimension because, although these techniques are popular for other applications, there are only a few, probably less than ten laboratories in the world that combine these experimental methods for dating purposes. The implementation in this laboratory of microscopic and cathodoluminescence techniques designed towards the same end will provide the BBU laboratory with a distinct competitive advantage in the luminescence and paramagnetic electron resonance dating community. Once PROGRESS achieves its goals, our lab will not only be a major player in this field, but also one of the laboratories that will potentially bring about major qualitative leaps in this community. The choice therefore came naturally, based on a strong rational foundation alongside the sentimental element. The grant acronyms reflect more than the words in the titles. This is the time and place for PROGRESS.
- Question:
You teach at the Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering at UBB, you have your own research group, you are also involved in academic community activities. Do you have time left for anything else? What do you like to do in your time off ?
I wish I could say I was an amateur astronomer or an accomplished semi-professional skier, or… But I’m not. I take solace in the fact that the vast majority of activities people do in their free time involve reading, learning new things or pursuing creative goals, building something that gives one a sense of belonging, caring for others and helping them develop, enjoying outdoor activities, travelling, meeting new people as well as old friends, and my career involves all of these things.
- Question:
What are some of your long-term plans? Is there an ERC ADVANCED GRANT coming up ?
I hope that the research activities conducted in our group will make our research centre a hub for research in the field internationally and thus have as many colleagues from around the world conducting research visits in our group. Six years ago I wished INTERTRAP would be a success, and now I wish the same for PROGRESS. I hope that our research centre will continue to grow in the future and that we will develop more ideas eligible for this kind of funding, which I also wish to all my colleagues at BBU.
The interview was conducted by Adrian Petrușel.
Good luck!
