ACM Scholar Spotlights: Andreea Ardelean
Welcome to ACM Scholar Spotlights, a series where we celebrate the experiences of women in computing who received the ACM-W Scholarship to attend womENcourage 2025. Through their stories, we explore the opportunities, connections, and moments that have shaped their journeys in technology and research.
In this edition, we feature Andreea Ardelean, a PhD researcher in Computer Vision and Computer Graphics at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. In her reflection, Andreea shares how attending her first womENcourage as an undergraduate student sparked a lasting connection with the ACM-W community, and how returning years later, this time as a researcher and scholarship recipient, offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on her journey, reconnect with mentors, and look ahead to the next stage of her career.
Hello! My name is Andreea Ardelean and I am currently pursuing my PhD at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, with a research focus at the intersection of Computer Vision and Computer Graphics. I love how technical skills, creativity, and curiosity can all come together in this field, and how I get to witness first-hand the development of technologies that have the potential to impact everyday life.
When I first started as an undergraduate student in Computer Science, I never imagined that I would one day be pursuing a doctorate and experience so many exciting opportunities along the way. Looking back, I can see how keeping an open mind and taking chances as they came has helped me get here.
One of these opportunities came during my bachelor’s studies in 2019, when one of my professors recommended that my colleague and I participate in the womENcourage event taking place in Rome. That turned out to be my very first academic conference, and my first contact with a larger community of women in computing. Needless to say, it left a lasting impact on my academic journey.
I also vividly remember how, during that conference, another professor of ours mentioned that she would love to one day bring the event to our university. Six years later, when I found out that womENcourage was going to be co-organized and hosted by Transilvania University of Brașov, my alma mater, I knew her ambition had become reality.
This year’s edition of womENcourage was therefore especially meaningful to me, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as I’m now at a stage in my career where I’m reflecting on what comes next after my doctorate. It was inspiring to reconnect with the professors who shaped my academic journey, to hear perspectives from both industry and academia, and to network with colleagues from across the computer science community. I also enjoyed presenting my ongoing research, receiving valuable feedback from fellow participants, and getting involved in the technical workshops.
Now, I have many things to reflect on and feel empowered by the inspiring stories of so many successful women in the field. I believe womENcourage is a wonderful conference and a rewarding experience at any stage of one’s career, but it can be especially beneficial for students and early-career researchers. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone considering attending next year’s edition to take the opportunity!