Education
Postdoc: 2007-2012 – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (Laboratory of Dr. Alan D’Andrea)
PhD: 2007 – Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany and Ludwig-Maximillians University, Munich, Germany (Laboratory of Dr. Stefan Jentsch)
BS: 2001 – Department of Biochemistry, University of Bucharest, Romania
Academic Appointments
Professor of Biochemistry, Penn State College of Medicine (since 2023; Associate Professor 2018-2023; Assistant Professor 2012-2018)
Vice Chair for Research, Department of Biochemistry (since 2022)
Director of Cancer Biology option, Penn State Hershey Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (since 2023)
Penn State MSTP (MD/PhD Program) Executive Steering Committee member (since 2018)
Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute – Experimental Therapeutics program –Moldovan website
Penn State University Graduate Council (2016-2018)
Grants and Awards
Dean’s Outstanding Research Mentor Award (2024)
Editorial Board member, NAR Cancer (2024-present)
4Diamonds Transformative Patient-Oriented Cancer Research Project Award (2023-2026)
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Penn State College of Medicine (2022)
R01 grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (2022-2026)
Dean’s Outstanding Publication Award, Clements et al and Thakar et al (2021)
Dean’s Outstanding Collaborative Research Team Award, Gynecological Malignancies Group (2020)
R01 grant from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences (2019-2023)
Pennsylvania Dept. of Health TSF CURE award to improve precision oncology therapy (2019-2020)
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Penn State College of Medicine (2019)
Leadership Academy for Excellence in Academic Medicine (by Penn State Smeal College of Business Executive Programs) (2018)
Exceptional Teacher Recognition by the Penn State Office for a Respectful Learning Environment (2018, 2024)
4Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Collaborative Research Award (2018-2019)
Junior Faculty Teaching Award from Penn State College of Medicine Society of Distinguished Educators (2017)
R01 grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (2016-2021)
Penn State Distinguished Early Stage Investigator (2015)
St. Baldrick Scholar Award by the St. Baldrick Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research (2015-2020)
Department of Defense (Cancer Research Program) Career Development Award (2015-2018)
Jake Gittlen Foundation Collaborative Cancer Research Award (2014-2015)
Conquer Cancer Award by the Concern Foundation (2014-2016)
V Scholar Award by The Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research (2013-2015)
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Postdoctoral Fellowship (2011-2012)
Human Frontier Science Program Postdoctoral Fellowship (2008-2011)
Junior Research Award, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (2007)
Foundation Sarghie Brothers Prize (2001)
European Union Socrates fellowship (1999)