Ioana Popovici

Ioana Popovici is a Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Plymouth within the School of Art, Design and Architecture (part of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business). She holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth, focusing on architecture praxis in socialist Romania and its post-socialist transition, analyzed through architectural journals. Previously, she qualified as an architect in Romania and taught at the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism while practicing residential and commercial architecture in Bucharest.

Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate programs, including module leadership for Year 1 Design Studio and History, Theory, and Critical Context courses. She also supervises research degrees and contributes to Master of Architecture and MA Architectural Design programs. Her pedagogical approach emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and context-responsive design.

Research interests center on displacement, spatial practices, and creative agency in liminal cultural contexts, alongside the socio-cultural dimensions of architecture. Key topics include power dynamics, neo-capitalism critique, sustainability, and ethics in architectural practice. She explores the role of language and discourse in shaping spatial practices.

Ioana has led innovative projects such as a collaborative place-making initiative with High Street Primary Academy and Early Childhood Studies students, fostering site-responsive, sustainable designs. A prior project for Riverside Community Primary School was shortlisted for the RIBAJ MacEwen Award. She actively integrates civic engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration into her work.

As a third supervisor, she guides research on spatial syntax and urban methodologies. Her contributions reflect a commitment to bridging theory, practice, and community impact in architectural education and research.