Adriana Vasilache, Nokia
”Interpersonal relationships play a huge role both in building networks and in everyday work."
What have you studied and what influenced this choice back in the day?
I actually studied in two faculties. The first was the Faculty of Physics at the University of Bucharest, and the second, partly in parallel, was the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Politehnica University of Bucharest. Both are in Romania. I have to say that when I chose the Faculty of Physics, I didn’t really know what “real” physics was, but I was drawn by a desire to understand how things happen and to see the logic in the world around us. My choice of the second faculty was influenced above all by Romania’s historical situation at the time, and it gave me the opportunity to get access to personal computers and build better connections with universities abroad.
How did you end up in your current position?
Looking back, I would say my path has been fairly linear, at least after a certain point. I completed a first doctoral degree in automatics at INSA Toulouse, France, and then a second one in signal processing and information technology in Tampere, Finland. The two slightly overlapped in time. It was also during those years that I had my daughter and my son. Building demanding research and a young family at the same time was not always easy, but it was possible, and I am very happy for both.
After the doctorates I continued with a postdoc at Tampere University of Technology, and before I had even finished it, a position opened at Nokia Research Center in a field that matched my doctoral work very well. I have stayed with Nokia ever since, moving through similar but evolving departments as unit names changed over the years. All in all, I have followed the same line of research, speech and audio coding, for more than twenty years. It has continuously evolved. Even within one field, there was always something new to learn, and especially in recent years, with the emergence of AI and machine learning, the learning curve has been very steep.
What is the best thing about your job?
The flexibility, and the chance to keep working on new things. They bring excitement, they demand learning, and they keep me feeling alive. There is also some playfulness linked to the research work, but maybe mostly linked to doing something I like and where I feel I can contribute. Over time I have also found that mentoring and coaching others has become one of the most rewarding parts of the work, seeing my impact at a more personal and profound level.
What have been the highlights and key lessons of your career?
One lesson is that we enjoy our work to the degree that we are truly present in it. I do not really see the things I have learned as career lessons, though, but mainly as life lessons, because whether we like it or not, personal and professional life together make up our one life, and what happens in one is intertwined with the other.
Whatever I learned at any given moment, even when it seemed unrelated to my professional path, eventually proved useful. Coaching and mentoring are a good example. I began exploring them outside of work, almost as a personal interest, and they turned out to be invaluable when I later had a research team to coordinate. I also took on the coordination of voluntary projects outside work, and the experience again helped later at work.
Another lesson I have learned is that people tend to give you what you give them. Even though a researcher's life may not look heavy on human interaction, human relationships matter enormously, both for building networks and for the everyday work itself. I have also come to care about wellbeing beyond the desk, to the point of helping organize summer retreats on the subject, because sustaining people is part of sustaining good work.
What are your plans and goals in the future?
Just as personal and professional life have gone hand in hand in the past, they will do the same in the future. My plans are to keep a balance between the two, to pursue the challenges in front of me, and to find enjoyment and purpose in the process. The most pressing challenge at the moment is the one brought by AI, both as a programming and general-purpose tool and at the level of scientific solutions. I also want to keep investing in the people around me through coaching and mentoring, which I expect to remain a meaningful part of whatever comes next. And last, but not least, I also want to take good care of myself.
What kind of person is suitable for your profession?
I am tempted to say first a curious person, someone motivated by finding solutions. I would add a measure of tenacity, creativity, an open mind, and a logical way of thinking. It matters to be able to work independently but also to collaborate and to be open to co-creating with others. This list is not exhaustive, and it does not mean every box must be ticked. Even within our own team, where we hold similar roles, each of us brings different strengths. And you do not need to be the loudest or most certain person in the room. If you are curious and willing to keep learning, you belong here just as much as anyone.
Your greetings for young people in high school deliberating their future career?
Reflect on your choices, but do not stress too much. Ask yourself why you lean one way or another, and try to understand who is really making the decision: you, your emotions, or perhaps someone else, such as family or friends. You may also notice that some fields may traditionally be linked to particular profiles — do not let that alone steer you away from something you are drawn to. As I said, do not put yourself under too much pressure. Focus instead on training yourself in how to learn, how to be adaptable, and how to develop your human qualities, those will carry you further than any single choice you make.