Michigan Tech’s College of Sciences and Arts welcomes Rodica Curtu as the new chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, effective July 1. Curtu comes to Michigan Tech from the University of Iowa, where she recently brought the math graduate program into the Internship Network in the Mathematical Sciences and served as faculty senate president.
“As the new chair of mathematical sciences, Professor Curtu leads a department with a strong record of accomplishments in research and teaching,” said LaReesa Wolfenbarger, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts. “I look forward to working with Rodica as she leverages her skills and experience with interdisciplinary and multi-institution research collaborations to lead the department to even greater accomplishments as MTU moves forward as an R1 institution.”
Curtu’s expertise is in mathematical biology and computational neuroscience. She earned her PhD in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 and worked during her informal postdoctoral studies as a visitor exchange scientist with researchers from the Center for Neural Science at New York University.
She said she looks forward to stepping into a leadership role where she can guide the math department toward further growth by developing online courses and expanding existing master’s degree and PhD programs.
Curtu said she’s passionate about student-focused teaching, championing the approach at the University of Iowa, where it was well received by students. Having worked on teams with neuroscientists, biologists, and engineers to apply math to real-world problems, she was drawn to Michigan Tech’s interdisciplinary research opportunities.
“I love working on interdisciplinary teams,” said Curtu. “In order to solve complicated problems we need to talk more with each other and share perspectives from different fields. Michigan Tech is a great place to come for that collaboration.”
“Mathematics is everywhere!” Rodica Curtu, Chair, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Michigan Tech College of Sciences and Arts
As chair, Curtu plans to work with the department, dean’s office, and across the University to facilitate dialogue and help align goals. She describes her approach to leadership as “working at the speed of trust” with the intention to start by listening. Her goals include growing the department’s graduate programs and embracing Michigan Tech’s R1 classification. She looks to support students through more diverse training opportunities, interview preparation, and guidance in pursuing industry and government jobs and internships. Curtu will also encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between mathematical sciences and other departments on campus.