Salut! (Hello)

I'm passionate about technology that solves real problems, with a knack for algorithmic, optimization or machine learning challenges, proven to perform under a strict timelimit.

I have heavy background in algorithms and data structures, having worked at companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, IBM Research and BitDefender.

Published several theoretical computer science papers in the field of string algorithms. - more about research

Won prizes in international machine learning contests involving duplicate detection or spoken language identification - more about machine learning

Qualified 3 times for the final of the TopCoder Open, Marathon Track, one of the largest discrete optimization contests in the world, with more than 600 competitors at the start. I placed in the top 1% in the biggest algorithmic programming contests such as Google Code Jam and USAICO. - more about awards

Worked in various capacities at:

• (currently) Coinbase, tech lead: Ideated, built and shipped ML models and frameworks for AutoML, risk models, blurriness detection, name similarity, image classification, support ticket automation, sequence-based models on events and personalization models.
• Alien Labs, (NLP on Slack Chat Logs; Search; full stack features such as external sharing and reactions)
• BitDefender (designed the big data system in charge of enabling forensics)
• Twitter (improving the new user experience through better follow suggestions)
• Facebook (feature engineering and machine learning models)
• Google (user facing product)

Soft skills are just as important as specific technology bullets: I participated in various Toastmasters chapters in order to hone my English and public speaking skills, participated in the World Debate Championship, and am continuously interested in what makes a great UX. To that end, I co-built the first time real-time turnout electoral map for the 2016 Romanian parliamentary elections. - more about projects

I have Research Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park under Prof. Mohammad HajiAghayi and Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from University of Bucharest, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics.