MCAA Romania Chapter Interviews: Connecting Research and Researchers

📰 #MCAARomaniaChapter Interviews: Connecting Research and Researchers 

Episode 1: Bridging Frontier Physics, Leadership, and Cultural Heritage with Dr. Andrada Lazea-Stoyanova .

Welcome to the inaugural edition of #MCAARomaniaChapterInterviews: #ConnectingResearchandResearchers - a brand-new series dedicated to highlighting the journeys of exceptional scientists, fostering cross-border collaboration, and mapping out the realities of building a sustainable research career. In this premier episode, we connect with #DrAndradaLazeaStoyanova, an independent senior researcher whose career perfectly captures the spirit of international mobility and community building.

From her transformative years as an #MSCAPhDfellow at #HasseltUniversity in Belgium to her global research footprint across Europe and Asia, Dr. Lazea-Stoyanova has mastered the delicate art of translating complex low-temperature plasma physics into practical, real-world applications—most notably, pioneering non-destructive methods for preserving and conserving priceless cultural heritage objects.

As a founding member and former two-term Chair of the MCAA Romania Chapter, she joins us to share her invaluable, first-hand perspective on:

⛳ The Transformed Researcher: How foundational MSCA training equips scientists with the non-academic, vital competences—like project management, networking, and communication—needed to lead independent research today.

⛳ Overcoming Institutional Boundaries: The realities, difficulties, and opportunities of navigating regional funding and institutional frameworks in Romania.

⛳ The Power of the Collective: Why early-stage researchers cannot afford to wait until they feel "established" to start networking, and how the MCAA Romania Chapter grew into a vibrant hub of over 70 members offering mutual support and career development.

Whether you are an early-stage researcher trying to find your footing, an established scientist looking for fresh collaboration opportunities, or simply curious about how advanced technology is saving our past, this interview offers a blueprint for navigating the modern scientific ecosystem.

Let's dive in. 🏂

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Dr. Roxana Radu: To start, could you give us a high-level overview of your current research focus? Looking back, how has the MSCA fellowship specifically acted as a catalyst for your career trajectory?

Dr. Andrada Lazea-Stoyanova: Currently, I am a Senior Researcher (Grade II, R3) in the Low Temperature Plasma Department at the National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics in Magurele, Romania. Over the course of my career, I have worked in research institutions in both Europe and Asia and have contributed to a wide range of projects. My current research focuses on the development and testing of plasma-based methods with potential for technology transfer, with particular emphasis on approaches tailored to the preservation and conservation of cultural-heritage objects.

Looking back, the MSCA fellowship was a genuine catalyst for my career trajectory. As an MSCA PhD fellow at Hasselt University in Belgium, I completed my doctoral training in an international and intellectually stimulating environment. The fellowship was crucial because it helped me understand the broader set of competences required for a sustainable research career. Alongside my physics expertise, I developed complementary skills in project management, communication, languages, and professional networking. I am convinced that, without those competences - especially the project management training - I would not be where I am today: an independent senior researcher able to initiate, coordinate, and translate research into meaningful applications.

Dr. Roxana Radu: Your work has clearly made an impact in your field. Looking back, what strategies have been most effective for increasing the visibility of your research? How can we leverage our collective expertise to identify new collaboration opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed?

Dr. Andrada Lazea-Stoyanova: In my experience, visibility starts with consistent presence: presenting at conferences, publishing strategically, and taking part in networking events where researchers can discuss their work beyond the limits of a formal presentation. These activities help build credibility within one's own field. However, the most valuable opportunities often emerge when we step outside our disciplinary comfort zone.

For this reason, I believe researchers should deliberately participate in events that seem, at first glance, distant from their own field. My recent project, for example, grew out of a workshop focused on heritage and biology - topics that at the time appeared far removed from my background in physics. That encounter helped me see how plasma science could contribute to conservation and preservation challenges.

To leverage our collective expertise, we should create more structured spaces for interdisciplinary matchmaking: short thematic sessions, peer-to-peer introductions, shared maps of expertise, and follow-up conversations after conferences. Events such as the MCAA annual conference are particularly valuable because they bring together researchers from different disciplines and career stages, making it possible to identify connections that would otherwise remain invisible.

Dr. Roxana Radu: What are your top tips, tricks, or unconventional pieces of advice for early-stage researchers navigating the transition from being a student to becoming a peer in a professional network?

Dr. Andrada Lazea-Stoyanova: One of the most important pieces of advice I would give to early-stage researchers is to treat professional networking not as an optional activity, but as part of the research career itself. A successful research career requires more than scientific expertise. Because technologies, funding schemes, and policy frameworks evolve continuously, researchers need to update their skills and competences throughout their careers.

A very practical strategy is to become an active member of a professional organization early on. This means not only attending events, but also contributing, volunteering, asking questions, and gradually taking responsibility within the community. My own MCAA journey began in 2013, when I participated in my first General Assembly in Brussels. Through that meeting, I connected with other Romanian MSCA fellows, and this eventually led to my becoming one of the 5 founding members of the MCAA Romania Chapter.

Between 2019 and 2023, I served two full two-year mandates as Chair of the MCAA Romania Chapter. Today, the MCAA Romania Chapter has more than 70 members and has become a vibrant local community where members can access career-development opportunities and mutual support, including certified training courses and local meetings. My unconventional advice is simple: do not wait until you feel fully established to contribute. Building a community is one of the most effective ways to become recognized as a peer.

Dr. Roxana Radu: Every researcher faces institutional or ecosystem-wide hurdles. Based on the difficulties you have confronted, whether in funding, administration, or policy, what is one viable solution you would propose to stakeholders to fundamentally improve the research environment for everyone involved?

Dr. Andrada Lazea-Stoyanova: Most research environments face persistent challenges, whether related to insufficient funding, administrative complexity, unstable career paths, or incomplete policy frameworks. A viable solution is to involve researchers much earlier and more systematically in the design of research policy and legislation.

In my own experience, I understood relatively late how researchers can participate in public consultations and policy debates and how important it is to contribute from the perspective of direct beneficiaries. Researchers are often the people who best understand how policies function in practice, where administrative bottlenecks occur, and which measures genuinely support scientific work.

Therefore, I would recommend that stakeholders create formal consultation mechanisms through established professional associations such as the MCAA. Researchers should be invited at the earliest stages of policy drafting, not only after decisions are nearly finalized. This would make research policy more realistic, more inclusive, and better aligned with the needs of the scientific community.

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