Mihai A. Gîrţu is Professor of Physics at Ovidius University of Constanța, Romania. A graduate of the University of Bucharest with an M.Eng. degree in Applied Physics, he received the Ph.D. degree from the Ohio State University, USA. His research interests are divided between physics of materials, with emphasis on molecular modeling, and science education, where his focus is on inquiry- and project-based learning. His early work was on molecular magnetism, studying the effects of magnetic anisotropy, disorder, frustration and interaction mechanisms on the high-temperature ordering in hybrid organic-inorganic magnets. His interests gradually evolved towards dye-sensitized solar cells, focusing on the modeling of adsorption and charge transfer procecess between the dye and the TiO2. He also used similar computational methods to investigate photocatalytic degradation of pollutants under visible light with TiO2 as catalyst. For his research achievemets he received the Ohio State Presidential Fellowship in 1997, the In hoc signo vinces prize from the Romanian National Research Council in 2001 and the Engin Arik Scientist Award from the Turkish Physical Society in 2020. Additionally, over the years, he has held various top university administration positions, including two mandates as vice-rector for research and innovation, and has been a member of several national bodies, such as the Romanian National Council for Higher Education Funding and the Romanian National Research Council, being strongly involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating public policies in higher education and research in Romania.
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