Dr. Cătălin Popa is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Dean of the Faculty of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Head of the Biomaterials Research Group in the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (TUCN). He is an Engineer since 1986 and, after working as a design engineer in several companies, he has become a member of the academic staff of TUCN since 1990. From the very early stages of his career, he worked in the field of Biomaterials and, later, he created the Biomaterials Research Group. Doctor of Engineering since 1997, Professor Popa was awarded a NATO / Royal Society Fellowship in the University of Nottingham (2000).

He was a recognized researcher in numerous research projects in the UK, in the IRC in Biomedical Materials, Queen Mary, University of London, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, as well as director in 29 research grants awarded by Romanian public funding bodies. The Biomaterials Research Group he leads focuses on optimisation of medical implants / devices, Tissue Engineering applications, drug delivery systems and Medical Microfluidics. Fundamental or developmental research for industry, in Romania, Germany or UK is, also, a key topic for the group he leads.