I'm a designer and researcher investigating the relationships between emerging technologies and creative practices, together with their place in broader cultural contexts. My focus is on computational design, digital fabrication, AI and bio-technologies. I have a background in architecture and worked as an urban planner, architect, and computational designer in Romania and Denmark.
My research sits at the intersection of architecture, media art and human-computer interaction.
Before joining Computational Media and Arts as an assistant professor, I served as an assistant professor at Aalborg University in Denmark where I was part of the Research Laboratory for Art and Technology. I have a PhD, Msc and Bsc in architecture from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and a Msc in architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture (IAAC) at the Polytechnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.
I was principal investigator for Un-disciplinary(funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation) and took part in a number of trans-disciplinary research projects including ABRA (Artificial Biology, Robotics and Art), and 3D Prime: 3D Printing for Medical Education and Training, both funded by the European Commission. At Aalborg University, I was involved in teaching in a range of programs, primarily BA Art&Technology and MA Media Arts Cultures (Erasmus Mundus Excellence program). I conducted workshops, lectured and acted as external examiner at a number of institutions including: National Film School of Denmark, National University of Theater and Cinema (Romania), Moholy Nagy University of Art and Design, Aarhus University and Copenhagen University.
My published research received a best paper award, both my individual designs as well as those of my students received prizes in architectural/design competitions and have been exhibited internationally. I was the Teacher of the Year for Art&Technology in 2020 at Aalborg University. Over the last years, I have been acting as an expert evaluator for the European Commission.
Personal website: https://ancah.myportfolio.com/
Research areas: / architectural design / computational design / human-computer interaction / creative AI / digital fabrication / human-robot interaction / experimental materials applied to design, and architecture (especially natural materials, i.e. clay, wood, mycelium, kombucha, algae) / design for sustainability (DfS) / media art / science and technology studies (STS)
Research methodologies: / design-based research / art-based research / qualitative research / material-based research, material-driven design / corpus linguistics analysis / historical research
Recruiting Research Assistants and PhD students to be part of the upcoming Art, Technology, Architecture (@A) in the Computational Media and Arts Thrust with the following backgrounds:
/ architecture or design with an interest and skills in computational design and/or digital fabrication
/ architecture or design with prior work experience in architectural/design practice
/ mechanical engineering or mechatronics with an interest in art, design and/or architecture
/ computer science with an interest in 3D graphics
/ material science or structural engineering with an interest in art, design and/or architecture
/ biology, bio-technology, or agricultural sciences with an interest in art, design and/or architecture