Center for Faculty Excellence New Faculty Member Spotlight: Meet Ana-Maria Haiduc
Purdue University Northwest’s Center for Faculty Excellence is pleased to introduce several new faculty members who have joined the university during the 2025-26 academic year.
Get to know more about Ana-Maria Haiduc, lecturer of Mathematics!
Why did you choose PNW?
“Graduating with a Master of Science in Mathematics from PNW in 2017 made me incredibly happy and fulfilled my academic goals. I truly believe that PNW is an excellent place to build my career, and being a part of this community fills me with pride and joy.”
What are you most excited about in your first year?
“I am excited about meeting over 130 new students in the fall! I look forward to learning about their interests, career aspirations, and how they envision mathematics as a tool to help them achieve their goals.”
What is the best piece of advice you would like to give PNW students?
“Discover your passion and pursue it! Initially, it may only be a glimpse of your mind, but it will become clearer with your hard work and dedication.”
How do you spend your free time?
“I spent my free time talking to my friends over the phone or meeting them in person, reading a book or playing mandolin.”
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
“People may be surprised to learn that, despite my background in mathematics, I have a passion for learning languages. Besides speaking my native language, Romanian, I am fluent in Italian and learned German in school. Currently, I am teaching myself Spanish. During the pandemic, I wanted to challenge my brain by reading from right to left, so I taught myself Hebrew. Additionally, I started learning Hungarian and plan to learn Portuguese in the future.
What is your favorite quote?
“Cheerfulness is like the fragrance of flowers: it cannot rise from withered souls.” – Nicolae Iorga
Why did you get into your field of study?
“I chose to study mathematics because I developed a passion for it, largely thanks to my middle school teacher. I admired her teaching style, as she approached mathematics with rigor and held high expectations for all her students. Moreover, she was kind and exceptionally knowledgeable.
I am excited to consider mathematics as a field that shapes our world and connects people and places. Mathematics’ use is evident in many ways, for example, the innovative bridges constructed in various locations around the globe to connect people and places. Additionally, mathematics plays a crucial role in making predictions for disasters and estimating their impact, especially in this era of climate change.”
What is your proudest accomplishment?
“My proudest accomplishment is being a mother. Motherhood has taught me the true meaning of love, patience, resilience, and how to support others with empathy and intention.”
What is the biggest risk you have ever taken?
“Presenting my research for the first time felt like a big risk. It was personal and exposed my ideas to critique, but it gave me confidence and opened doors I never expected.”
What is your favorite random fact?
“Hearing is often the last sense to fade before death. Even when someone can no longer respond, their brain may still recognize voices and sounds.”
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
“I would remind myself to never underestimate my capabilities and to always be confident.”