I joined the National Institute for Biological Sciences (NIBS), Cluj-Napoca, in 2002. Graduating in 2003 with a B.Sc. degree in Biology-Chemistry and one year later with an M.Sc. degree in Biodiversity and Management of Protected Areas I have focused my research on plant science ever since. After receiving a PhD degree in Plant Molecular Biology at Rutgers University, USA, I have rejoined NIBS, where I'm currently establishing my own research group, focusing on maize as a model species.