Born in Bucharest, Romania, Roman studied general engineering topics for two years at the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest until he became the beneficiary of a Fulbright Scholarship.

In the fall of 1971, Roman entered the very first computer science freshman class at the University of Pennsylvania. In the years that followed, he earned B.S. (1973), M.S. (1974), and Ph.D. (1976) degrees, all in computer science. 

At the age of 25, he began his academic career as Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. 

In 1997, Roman was appointed department head. Under his leadership, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering experienced a dramatic transformation in faculty size, level of research activities, financial strength, and reputation. In 2004, he was named the Harold B. and Adelaide G. Welge Professor of Computer Science at Washington University. 

On July 1, 2011, Roman became the 18th dean of the University of New Mexico School of Engineering. His aspirations as dean were rooted in his conviction that engineering and computing play central roles in facilitating social and economic progress. Roman saw the UNM School of Engineering as being uniquely positioned to enable scientific advances, technology transfer, and workforce development on the state, national, and international arenas.  His srategic plan sought to be responsive to both environmental and societal needs and to leverage off the rich history, culture, and intellectual assets of the region. He served in this position until 2014.