Dana Petcu is a Professor at the Computer Science Department of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at West University of Timisoara. She serves as Director of both the Institute for Advanced Environmental Research and Institute e-Austria Timisoara. With expertise in distributed and parallel computing, she has published over two hundred papers on Cloud, Grid, Cluster, and HPC computing. She is also the chief editor of the open-access journal Scalable Computing: Practice and Experience (SCPE) and has coordinated multiple European Commission-funded projects. Education: Ms. Degree in Computer Science Ph.D. in Numerical Analysis Dana Petcu's research focuses on distributed and parallel computing systems. Her current interests include Cloud & Grid computing, and HPC & Cluster computing. Previously, she worked on Mathematical software, Numerical methods, and Computer graphics. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations, particularly in resource management, scheduling algorithms, and scalable computing architectures. She has developed significant expertise in applying these technologies to scientific computing, data-intensive applications, and multi-cloud environments. Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on cloud and distributed computing evolution. Over the past decade, her research has shifted from foundational grid computing to modern cloud technologies, edge computing, and exascale systems. Key themes include resource management across heterogeneous environments, autonomic systems, security SLAs, and multi-cloud portability. Her work shows increasing interdisciplinary connections, particularly with AI/ML techniques applied to resource optimization and anomaly detection in large-scale systems. Scientific Awards: Maria Sibylla Merian-Award (2005) IBM Faculty Award (2009) MLNR Award "Spiru Haret" (2015) Romanian Academy Award "Gheorghe Cartianu" (2015) Dana Petcu has advised numerous graduate students through various master's programs in Distributed and Parallel Computing. She has secured substantial research funding as coordinator of FP7 projects HOST and SPRERS, and as scientific coordinator of mOSAIC. Her grant portfolio includes multiple European Commission-funded initiatives focused on cloud computing infrastructure, resource management, and multi-cloud environments. She has also contributed to EU Research Activities in Cloud Computing as an editor, demonstrating her leadership in shaping European research agendas in this field. She leads the Computer Science Research Center (CCI) and High Performance Computing Service Center (HPC-UVT) at West University of Timisoara. Her teams develop and maintain significant infrastructure for distributed computing research, including simulation environments like CloudSim and iFogSim. She has established strong connections between academic research and practical applications through Institute e-Austria Timisoara, fostering technology transfer and innovation in cloud computing solutions.
