Ana – STEM and IP Champion, patent prosecution expert, chemist & mother
I am passionate about inspiring the next generation of STEM thinkers and innovators.
As a mother, I love cultivating my children’s curiosity through hands-on kitchen chemistry, creative activities. During a visit at the museum, their joy for exploration captivated a reporter who wrote an article featuring them: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/heres-an-idea-visit-the-inventors-hall-of-fame/2018/05/25/c19bf12c-5919-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html
They remain the inspiration behind my STEM and IP workshops.
My background is chemical engineering and chemistry and patent prosecution. I earned my Ph.D. in organic chemistry from NC State University. My doctoral research focused on the synthetic methods for porphyrins—compounds critical to advancing artificial photosynthesis and photodynamic cancer therapies.
I have over a decade of experience managing the legal and technical review of chemical inventions, ensuring compliance with patent law while protecting breakthroughs in drug discovery and biotechnology.
Growing up in Transylvania, Romania, my passion for chemistry was sparked by my seventh-grade teacher, who performed captivating live chemistry experiments right on her desk every chemistry class. If you have ever witnessed the explosive reaction of solid sodium metal in water, hydrogen set on fire, or copper sulfate precipitation- you know exactly what ignited my fascination with chemistry.
As an enthusiastic STEM and IP Champion, I recognize the criticality of involving kids in hands-on science experiments and teaching aspects of intellectual property. This motivated me to volunteer and outreach at schools and organizations like the Science Olympiad, NC Science Festival, American Chemical Society, Women in Science, etc and to deliver integrated chemistry experiments and IP workshops, showing students how their creative ideas can truly change the world.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin
