Dr. Gonzales graduated summa cum laude from "Gh. Asachi" Polytechnical Institute at Iasi, Romania in 1988 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry and Physics. During the years 1990 through 2002, Dr. Gonzales was an Assistant Professor at the "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iasi (AICUI), Romania, Organic Chemistry Department.

She received her Ph. D. in 1997 from the AICUI, where she worked with Professor Harry Ofenberg. Her graduate research focused on synthesis of benzofurans and other oxygen heterocycles, their biological activities and photochemistry studies of fluorescence and phosphorescence of the synthesized compounds. Following her graduate work, she spent a year and a half at Neuchatel Institute of Chemistry, Switzerland as a Swiss Confederation Postdoctoral Fellow, working in Professor Reinhard Neier's laboratory. The postdoctoral research involved synthesis and reactivity of 4-Vinyl-6-methyl-2-pyrones in Diels Alder reactions and conformational study of 6-methyl-4-hydroxy-2-pyrone enol ethers. In 2000, Dr. Gonzales came to the United States working as an associate researcher for two years in Professor Jack Saltiel's research group at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The research was supported by Roche Vitamins Co. and involved conformer specific photochemistry studies in the vitamin D field. 

She is the co-author of several publications in reviewed papers of organic chemistry and guide books for students. She joined California State University in San Marcos (CSUSM) as a lecturer in the Chemistry department in fall, 2005. At CSUSM, she is teaching organic chemistry, analytical chemistry and general chemistry. In 2013 she was selected by the College of Science and Mathematics in CSUSM to receive the Outstanding Lecturer Award.

Ph.D. in Chemistry, ''Al. I. Cuza'' University of Iasi, Romania.

Bachelor of Science in Physics and Chemistry, "Gh. Asachi" Polytechnical Institute of Iasi, Romania.

Saltiel, J.; Cires, L.; Turek, A. M. "Conformer Specific Photochemistry in the Vitamin D Field" in Handbook of Organic Photochemistry and Photobiology; 2nd Edition, Horspool, W. M. and Lenci, F., Ed.; CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, New York, Washington, D.C., 2003, pp. 27-1 - 27-22.

Cires, L., Botomei V.; Humelnicu, I.; Ofenberg, H.; Neier, R.; ''An efficient synthesis of 10-substituted benzo[b]phenantro[9, 10-d]furans'', Revue Roum. Chim., 2003, 48(1), pp. 33-37.

Saltiel,J.; Cires, L.; Turek, A. M. "Conformer Specific Photoconversion of 25-Hydroxytachysterolto 25-Hydroxyprevitamin D3: Role in the Production of VitaminDs" " J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2003; 125(10), pp. 2866 - 2867. 

Cires,L.; Ofenberg, H.; Craita, C.''Efficient synthesis of chromeno-6,7-isoxazoles and chromeno-6,7-oxazoles'', Oper. Proc. Procc. Intern.., 2001, 33(4), pp. 361 - 368.

Cires,L.; Acostioaie, L.; Nicolaescu, T. and Nemitan, E. ''Synthesis and reactivity of some coumarinderivatives'', An. St. Univ."Al. I.Cuza" Iasi, 2000, Tom. VIII, no. 1, s.c., pp. 117-122.

Cires,L.; Botomei, V.; Craita, C.and Ofenberg, H. ''Synthetic reactions of 5-methyl-6-chloro-acetamidomethyl-2,3-diphenylbenzo[b]furan'', An. St. Univ."Al. I. Cuza"Iasi, 2000, Tom. VIII, no. 1, s. c., pp. 123-128.

Cires,L.; Craita, C. and Ofenberg, H. ''A convenient 2,3-diphenyl-benzofurans conversion into 1, 2-benzisoxazoles'', An. St. Univ. ''Al. I. Cuza'' Iasi, 2000, Tom.VIII, no. 1, s. c., pp. 129-135.

Cires,L.; Ofenberg, H.; Craita, C. and Pollet, A. - "Substituent influence on the fluorescencespectra of  2,3-diphenylbenzo[b]furanderivatives", J. Lum., 1998, 66, pp. 91 - 96.

Vlahovici,A.; Ofenberg, H.  and Cires, L. "Effect of substituent,solvent and temperature on the electronic spectra of some benzo[b]furanderivatives", Proceedings of theSimposium on Physics and. Techn. Phy.-Iasi, 1997, pp.  168-174.Couture,A.; Grandclaudon, P.;

Cires, L. and Ofenberg, L. "A convenient synthesis of 7-substituted 2,3-diphenylbenzo[b]furans ", Synthetic Comm., 1997, 27(20), pp. 3669 - 3676.Ofenberg,H.; Cires, L.; Vlahovici, A. and Lablache-Combier, A. "Synthesisand photoreactivity of 6-iodo-2,3-diphenylbenzo[b]furans derivatives", Rev. Roum., 1997, 42(2), pp. 137 - 142,  .

Ofenberg, H.; Cires, L.; Craita, C.and, Novitchi, G. "Synthesis and reactivity of some6-amino-2,3-diphenylbenzo[b]furans derivatives", An. St. Univ."Al. I. Cuza" Iasi, 1996, Tom IV,s.c., pp. 129 ¿ 136.

Cires, L.; Stefan, M.; Ofenberg, H. and Zanoaga, C."Studies on the synthesis and physiological activity of somehalide-2-hydroxy benzophenones",  An. St. Univ."Al. I. Cuza"Iasi, 1995, Tom. III, s. c., pp. 151-158.

Vlahovici, A.; Ofenberg, H.; Cires, L.; Pollet, A. and Lablache-Combier, A. "Solvent and temperature influence onthe fluorescence spectrum of6-amino-5-methyl-2,3-diphenylbenzo[b]furan",  J.Lumin., 1994, 62, pp. 227-236.

Welch, S., Gonzales, L.: “Notes and Outlines for Organic Chemistry Laboratory 201L”; CSUSM, 2012.

Welch, S., Gonzales, L.: “Notes and Outlines for Organic Chemistry Laboratory 202L”; CSUSM, 2012.

Gonzales, L.; Ng, K.: Laboratory Manual for Advanced General Chemistry (250L) Sections: Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry CSUSM, 2010.

Ng, K.; Gonzales, L.: Laboratory Manual for Quantitative  Investigations in Chemistry (275L) Sections: Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry CSUSM, 2008.

Nicolaescu, T.; Cires, L. and Finaru, A.: "Hydrocarbon Chemistry", Ed. Eurologic, Bacau, ISBN 973-99682-0-1, 2000.

Nicolaescu, T.; Cires, L. and Nicolaescu, R. "Problems and Applications In Organic Chemistry", Ed. Univ."Al.I.Cuza", Iasi, 1996.

Nicolaescu, T. and Cires, L.: "Chemistry of Functionalized Organic Compounds", Ed. Univ."Al.I.Cuza", Iasi, 1995.

Nicolaescu, T. and Cires, L.: "Hydrocarbon Chemistry", Ed. Univ."Al.I.Cuza", Iasi, 1994.

• Chemistry 201: Organic Chemistry Lecture and Laboratory
• Chemistry 202: Organic Chemistry Lecture and Laboratory
• Chemistry 275: Quantitative Investigation in Chemistry Lecture and Laboratory
• Chemistry 160: General Chemistry II
• Chemistry 150: Activity