About Ionel Mărginean.

I am a lecturer and structural engineering researcher at Politehnica University of Timișoara, Executive Director of Diogene Cultural Association, and an interdisciplinary artist working through DE NICIUNDE. Across these roles, I connect universities, cultural organisations and public space through research, production and civic collaboration.

I publish academic work as Ioan Mărginean and work in cultural and artistic contexts as Ionel Mărginean.

Current roles

  • Lecturer, Politehnica University Timișoara

  • Vice President, Politehnica Foundation Timișoara

  • Executive Director, Diogene Cultural Association

academic work

Teaching structural engineering through applied learning

I teach composite structures, timber design, structural robustness and architecture for engineers at Politehnica University Timișoara. My courses connect theory with design decisions, case studies, observation and project-based work, helping students understand both structural performance and the experience of buildings

research

Studying structural robustness under extreme events

I investigate robustness and progressive collapse in steel and composite structures through experimental testing, numerical modelling and design-oriented research. The work turns complex structural behaviour into evidence and guidance that can improve the safety and resilience of buildings.

cross-sector work

Building projects between universities, culture, technology and public space

I connect academic knowledge, institutional resources and cultural practice to create collaborations that no single sector could deliver alone. Depending on the project, I initiate partnerships, facilitate research, coordinate production and translate between universities, artists, public institutions and civic organisations.

artistic practice

Exploring place through performance, installation and participation

Grounded in theatre, performance and improvisation, my artistic practice uses installation, site-responsive work and collective experimentation. I explore how bodies, objects and audiences reshape the meaning of a place, often working through DE NICIUNDE and other collaborations.

cultural production

Producing immersive and site-responsive cultural projects

As Executive Director of Diogene Cultural Association and producer of Parallel City, I develop cultural projects from contextual research and partnerships through production and public presentation. My work creates the conditions for artists, institutions, spaces and audiences to meet.

civic engagement

Turning public concerns into collective action

I co-initiate civic projects that structure public information, support participation and create practical tools for communities. My work includes GreenTwin, AntiCovidTM, CetățeanTM and E și treaba mea, addressing urban nature, crisis response, public accountability and civic learning.

Building connections across structures, people, and stories

selected projects

The Parallel City

Producer
An immersive urban storytelling project developed in Timișoara across multiple neighbourhoods, combining theatre, civic research, local memory, and site-specific performance.

Circular Cultures Design School

Co-organiser / Co-Curator
An interdisciplinary school connecting design, circularity, industrial heritage, and urban research through collaborative work in Timișoara.

FAILNOMORE

Postdoctoral researcher
An RFCS research project focused on practical design guidance for mitigating progressive collapse in steel and composite building frames under exceptional events.

THAT THEN

Co-author

A site-responsive installation and performance created by DE NICIUNDE in an apartment in Timișoara, exploring the overlooked people, gestures and forms of labour behind scientific, technological and cultural change.

CivicStream

Programme coordinator

A CiviCultura media series developed between 2020 and 2022, transforming interviews, testimonies and neighbourhood research into accessible audiovisual stories. Its editions documented solidarity during the pandemic and explored urban issues in Iosefin and Fabric.

UNDE DE NICIUNDE

Co-author

An art–science exhibition created with Ciprian Chirileanu, Mihai Toth and Ioan Rusan in the former Pasmatex factory in Timișoara. Through installations, performance and experimentation, the project explored waves, matter, perception and the use of scientific concepts as artistic methods.

 

Academic, cultural and cross-sector collaborations

I collaborate on academic, cultural, civic, and cross-sector projects — especially where universities, cities, public space, technology, and storytelling meet.

discuss a collaboration