Ileana Apostol is a researcher of contemporary spatial production in western cities, with the objective to inform urban design practice and pedagogy. For that she explores comparatively a range of public spaces from neighborhood places to commercial/entertainment centers, and inner-city railway stations, focusing on the relation between social norms and spatial forms. In particular Ileana is interested in urban practices that mediate the boundaries between the public and the private, and allow social relations to transform dynamically. Since her doctoral studies, she proposes a dialectic take of urban research and design pedagogy that is inspired by Henri Lefebvre's theory of spatial production. 

Ileana holds a Ph.D. in Planning from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA, a Master's of Infrastructure Planning from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and a Master's in Urbanism and a Bachelor in Architecture from the University of Architecture and Urbanism, Bucharest, Romania. In support of her research and studies, she received a number of grants and fellowships among which the Marie Curie Fellowship from the European Commission, the Fulbright Fellowship from the US Department of State, and DAAD from the German Government. Before undertaking research on a full-time basis, initially in Paris (Project NETHOOD) and currently in Zurich (Projects PORTA, COMPARE), Ileana has taught Urban Planning and Design in the USA at the College of Environmental Design, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and in Romania at the University of Architecture and Urbanism, Bucharest.