Prof. univ. dr. habil. Rodica Mocan
Professor @ Faculty of Theater and Film, UBB
Rodica Mocan is professor at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, specializing in digital media and new media arts. She has a PhD in Sociology (2005) with research on new e-learning methods and a PhD in Theater and Performing Arts (2016) with a theme related to interactive digital performance. She obtained her qualification in Cinematography and Media with a thesis on digital media arts.
Her current research interests are on the impact of digital technologies on various aspects of life, especially in interactive digital arts and emerging artistic genres. His publications include eLearning – A Sociological Perspective (Risoprint, 2007), Emerging Media Genres – New Media Documentary (Risoprint, 2013), and Critical Paradigms in Interactive Digital Performance (Cluj University Press, 2017), as well as other academic articles among which "From co-creator to Demiurge; a Theological and Philosophical Perspective on Transhumanist Art". She accredited and coordinates the Digital Interactive Arts masters program within the Faculty of Theater and Film and coordinates doctoral students in Cinematography and Media.
Andrew Harmel-Law
Tech Principal @ ThoughtWorks
A highly enthusiastic, self-starting and responsible Tech Principal; Andrew specialises in Java / JVM technologies, agile delivery, build tools and automation, and domain driven design. Experienced across the software development lifecycle and in many sectors including government, banking, and eCommerce, what motivates him is the production of large-scale software solutions, fulfilling complex client requirements. He understands that people, tooling, architecture and process all have key roles to play in achieving this. Andrew has a passion for open source software and its communities. He has been interested in and involved with OSS to a greater or lesser extent since his career began; as a user, contributor, expert group member, or paid advocate. Finally, Andrew enjoys sharing his experience as much as possible. This sharing is not only seen in his formal consulting engagements, but also informally through mentoring, blog posts, conferences (speaking and organising), and open sourcing his code.
Andrei Budescu
Prorector of Artistic and Scientific Research @ UAD Cluj
Andrei Budescu: visual artist, associated professor Ph.D., head of the Photo-Video Department (FV) at the University of Art and Design (UAD) Cluj-Napoca (October 2018 – February 2023), dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts (since March 2023), member of the Union of Visual Artists of Romania (UAP), Cluj Branch. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree (2005 – magna cum laude) and a master’s degree (2007) from the Faculty of Fine Arts at UAD, specializing in alternative/experimental photography, animation, multimedia, and audio-video productions. In 2011, he obtained a doctoral degree in visual arts from the same institution of higher artistic education, with a thesis titled “The Relevance of Old and New Photography in Contemporary Fine Arts”.
His artistic achievements include numerous solo exhibitions and participation in national and international group exhibitions, accompanied by several notable awards: 2007 – 2nd Prize at the Chivas Regal Contest, Photo Magazine, Bucharest; 2004 – 1st Prize at the “Playboy” Art Photography Contest, “Artistic Nude” section, Bucharest; 1st Prize at the Photography Salon organized by the Centro Sperimentale di Fotografia, Prato, Italy, in collaboration with the Student’s House of Culture, Cluj-Napoca; 2003 – Honorable Mention and Special Prize at the Photography Salon organized by the Centro Sperimentale di Fotografia, Prato, Italy, in collaboration with the Student’s House of Culture, Cluj-Napoca.
Stelian Brad
Professor @ Technical University of Cluj
Currently, a full professor in intelligent robotics and innovation management at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Stelian Brad comes up with a complex background of about 22 years in the software industry, as CEO, product or project manager, innovation manager, entrepreneur, and mentor. Stelian holds a Ph.D. in robotics and a Ph.D. in economics. Till now, he had the chance to lead or to be involved in 150+ research and innovation projects, as well as many institutional development initiatives. Stelian Brad is president of the Cluj IT cluster and coordinator of the European Digital Innovation Hub DIH4Society. He teaches artificial intelligence, and programming languages with applications in robotics, social and cognitive robotics, and innovation engineering. His research focus is on artificial intelligence for creative engineering and robotics, autonomous mobile robots, industry 4.0, and various dimensions of digital innovation.
Horea Avram
art critic, media theorist and independent curator
- Dep. of Film and Media, UBB
Horea Avram is an art critic, media theorist and independent curator. He researches and writes about art and visual culture in relationship with media technology. PhD in Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University, Montreal. He is Associate Professor at the Department of Cinema and Media, Faculty of Theatre and Film, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
He has contributed to: Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, (Oxford University Press, 2014), Theorizing Visual Studies: Writing Through the Discipline (New York: Routledge, 2013), Encyclopedia of the imaginaries in Romania. (Iaşi: Polirom, 2020). He is the author of Negotiable perspective. Essays and Commentaries on Contemporary Artistic Practices. Bucharest: Eikon Press, 2021.
He was research fellow of the New Europe College Institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences, 2017-2018.
Member of various professional associations such as: NECS - European Network for Cinema and Media Studies, International Society for Intermedial Studies (ISIS), The Union of Visual Artists (UAP), Romania. Member and past president of the AFCN Council – Administration of the National Cultural Fund, Romania. President of the International Association of Art Critics - AICA Romania.
Independent curator since 1996. Curator for Romania at the Venice Biennale 1999.