CV

General Information

Full Name Nicolae Sapoval
Date of Birth 23rd May 1995
Languages English, Russian, Romanian

Education

  • 2024
    Computer Science, PhD
    Rice University
    • Thesis title: Interrogating Microbial Populations: from Large-scale Data to Algorithms to Field-deployed Software
    • Advisor: Todd J. Treangen
  • 2018
    Mathematics, BS (Honors); Computer Science, BS
    University of Chicago

Experience

  • 2024-*
    Postdoctoral Researcher
    Rice University
  • 2019-2024
    PhD Student
    Rice University
  • 2018-2019
    Consultant
    TruQua Enterprises LLC

Honors and Awards

  • 2022
    • Andrew Ladd Memorial Excellence in Computer Science Graduate Fellowship, Ken Kennedy Institute
    • Pan-Structural Variation Hackathon: Third Prize, Baylor College of Medicine
  • 2021
    • Pan-Structural Variation Hackathon in the Cloud: First Prize, Baylor College of Medicine
  • 2019
    • Undergraduate Student Travel Award, Biophysical Society
    • Undergraduate Poster Competition Award, Biophysical Society
  • 2018
    • Numbers Game Challenge Winner, Optiver, Chicago
  • 2014
    • Silver Medal, Balkan Mathematical Olympiad
    • Bronze Medal, International Mathematical Olympiad
  • 2013
    • Bronze Medal, Balkan Mathematical Olympiad
    • Honorable Mention, International Mathematical Olympiad
  • 2012
    • Bronze Medal, International Mathematical Olympiad

Teaching

  • 2025
    Modeling and Inference in Computational Genomics (COMP 571)
    Rice University
    • Instructor
  • 2023
    Strategies and Techniques for Analyzing Microbial Population Structures (STAMPS)
    Marine Biology Laboratory
    • Teaching Assistant
  • 2023
    Algorithmic Thinking (COMP 182)
    Rice University
    • Co-instructor
  • 2020
    Reasoning about Algorithms (COMP 382)
    Rice University
    • Teaching Assistant
  • 2019
    Reasoning about Algorithms (COMP 382)
    Rice University
    • Teaching Assistant
  • 2018
    C Programming
    University of Chicago
    • Teaching Assistant
  • 2017
    Honors Intro to Computer Science II
    University of Chicago
    • Teaching Assistant
  • 2016
    Honors Intro to Computer Science II
    University of Chicago
    • Teaching Assistant

Mentoring

  • 2023
    Genome Sleuths REU (Marko Tanevski)
    Rice University
    • Student: Marko Tanevski
    • Project: KombOver: Efficient k-core and K-truss based characterization of perturbations within the human gut microbiome
    • Published in Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing, 2024
  • 2022-2023
    Undergraduate Research Project
    Rice University
    • Student: Maggie Simmons
    • Project: Viral transmission inference and bottleneck size estimation toolkit
  • 2023
    HackRice
    Rice University
  • 2022
    Youth Science Workshop
    Rice University
  • 2022
    Genome Sleuths REU
    Rice University
    • Co-director
  • 2021
    HackRice
    Rice University
  • 2020
    Undergraduate Research Project (student: Mary Brady)
    Rice University
    • Student: Mary Brady
    • Project: Viral transmission inference toolkit
  • 2020
    Genome Sleuths REU (students: Audrey Deigaard, Hung Nguyen)
    Rice University
    • Students: Audrey Deigaard, Hung Nguyen
    • Project: Automated primer and probe design for RT-PCR diagnostics
  • 2019-2020
    Undergraduate Research Project
    Rice University
    • Student: Abdelrahman Abouzeid
    • Project: Feline infectious peritonitis diagnostics