I am Simona Ruţă, MD, PhD, Professor of Virology and Vice-Rector for scientific research at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy and senior researcher in Ştefan S Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest, Romania. I am a clinical virologist with extensive experience in molecular epidemiology studies on blood borne transmitted viral infections (HIV and viral hepatitis). My broad background in both virology and immunology allows me to have a complex view on the diagnosis, treatment and evolution monitoring of infectious diseases. I am particularly interested in the elimination of viral hepatitis and in the mechanisms involved in the development of liver fibrosis. As a Vice rector for Research and Innovation at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest and member in several national and international high-level consultative bodies for Medical Microbiology and Immunization, I gained a deep understanding of the future development in the international research area, and I am willing to serve as an active editorial-board member. Being involved in research evaluation, I am highly motivated to promote high quality and ethically responsible research through peer-review. I have published more than 100 articles as a corresponding author, related to Viral infections (viral hepatitis, HIV, viral emerging diseases, neutropenic infections) with more than 3070 citations, Google Scholar's H-index 24 and i-10 index 53. I am invited each year as a speaker at national and international conferences and I am an active member of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID)- member of the Educational Committee, as well as the Chair of the Romanian National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) and the European representative of the Global NITAG Networks. I am an elected member of the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences and I currently serve as the Executive Vice-president of the Romanian Society for Microbiology. I review each month between 3-8 manuscripts for international journals. My long-term research goals are in the field of genomics, aiming to maintain an active surveillance program for circulating pathogens and understanding of the impact of microbiota on different pathologies and in personalized medicine through a deep understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in infectious diseases and viral induced oncogenesis. I am currently involved in the development of a core research facility for multidisciplinary research in biomedicine. I am very much interested in a new way of education, and I developed an array of mentoring skills through interaction with medical school students (I give lectures to more than 12000 students/year), PhD students (I am currently mentoring 5 brilliant infectious diseases and microbiology fellows). I believe in active listening to understand the concerns and challenges that come with every stage of the career and challenges that comes with every stage of the career and I am convinced that open dialogue and constructive feedback can help the professional development of young researchers. I am the founding and scientific director of the HIV/AIDS International Laboratory, established by Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative at Stefan S Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest, Romania, that supports and facilitates multidisciplinary AIDS-related research activities, including infrastructure development, coordination of basic science and clinical investigators, and fostering of new collaborations and educational programs. I am an opera lover and a curious traveler, enjoying nature, new places and new people together with my family.