Research interests
- Intelligent Systems in general and user-adaptive systems in particular;
- User Modelling and Personalisation - developing techniques for modelling users and for adapting interventions based on the user models; techniques: data mining techniques, case-base reasoning; applications in the area of Adaptive Educational Systems;
- Data mining and knowledge discovery - supervised and unsupervised learning;
- Decision support - knowledge-based decision support; techniques: multicriteria decision making, neural networks, hybrid approaches;
- Motivation and affect - modelling of motivation and other affective characteristics; adaptation to the affective characteristics of the user.
Awards and distinctions
- 2018, Best Paper Award at the 17th IEEE International Symposium on Network Computing and Applications (IEEE NCA)
- 2018, Finalist (last 6) for the Lotfi Zadeh Best Paper Award at the 17th International Conference on Machine Learning and Cybernetics (ICMLC)
- 2017, Finalist (last 6) for Lotfi Zadeh Best Paper Award at the 16th International Conference on Machine Learning and Cybernetics (ICMLC)
- 2016, Nomination for Best Paper Award at the 15th International Conference on Machine Learning and Cybernetics (ICMLC)
- 2012, Runner up for the 2011 Best PhD Thesis in the School of Business, Economics & Informatics, Birkbeck College, University of London
- 2010, Best PhD Student Paper Award at The 14th International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems (KES 2010)
- 2006, Best project award at the Summer School on Personalized e-Learning, Dublin, 2006, for the project entitled ALIT - Adaptive Language Intelligent Tutor (team work)
- 1998-2004, Yearly scholarship for top performing students at “Al. I. Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania
Grants
- Research Development Fund (RDF), University of Portsmouth, Developing a collaborative research programme on computational models for emotion detection and their applications to online social interaction issues such as cyber-bullying, 2016-2017, PI, £24 749
- Research Development Initiative (RDI), University of Portsmouth, Fostering research capacity in the area of big data, 2014-2015, PI, £4250
- Learning and Teaching Projects Fund, University of Portsmouth, Large Innovative Lectures with Multiple Screens (LIL-SCREENS), 2014-2015, Co-I, £2260
- Research sabbatical, University of Portsmouth Sept-Dec 2011, PI
- STELLARnet Mobility Fellowship - Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, August-September 2011, PI, €2000
- Birkbeck College Research School, PhD scholarship, 2007-2010, £37 800 (plus fees)
- EATEL (European Association for Technology Enhanced Learning) Scholarship towards participation costs at the ProLearn Academy and EATEL Joint European Summer School on Technology Enhanced Learning, Terchova, Slovakia, 2009, €1000
- User Modeling Inc. grant to attend and present research work at The 17th International Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation, and Personalisation (UMAP 2009), Trento, Italy, 2009, $400
- NSF (National Science Foundation) grant to attend and present research work at The 9th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS 2008), Montreal, Canada, 2008, $1000
- National College of Ireland MSc by research scholarship, €21 300 (plus fees)
- Leonardo da Vinci scholarship for an internship at Université Paris 12, France, 2005, €2000