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ABOUT US

Science for sustainable future

Astra Forum Foundation was born as a result of the creative and research quests of our team and the idea kept ripening for years until it crystallized into our desire to work for public development through our versatile experience, scientific achievements, and rich ideas.

MISSION AND GOALS

Looking up to the stars

 

What guides us in each and every field of our activity is the search for new directions and looking ahead, for new horizons. Us, looking at the stars is a metaphor for the endless search of human mind, which knows no boundaries. We believe in debate and that it is the way for arriving to the truth, just like Aristotle bestowed us, to look “beyond the doors”.

Thus, the appellation of “Astra Forum Foundation” was born:

Astra (lat.) is the plural of the Latin word astrum (star) that originates from the Greek astron, derivative of the proto-Indo-European root ster-.

Forum (lat.) in Ancient Roman culture means public square for legal matters and other debates, a place for exchanging ideas and views on various subjects. The literal meaning of the word in Latin is “what is outside (beyond) the doors”.

The Foundation’s goal is to work for society’s sustainable development, democratic institutions and the various communities it consists of, while elaborating activities, including research, in the sectors of healthcare and medicine, history, culture, arts, education and youth activities, ecology and environment.

Management Board:

Момчил Баев

Momchil Baev

Professional qualification:

• PhD in Social medicine and organization of healthcare and pharmacy;
• Master’s in Public health and health management;
• Bachelor’s in Social Sciences (social worker)

Biography
Momchil Baev

Professional qualification:

  • PhD in Social medicine and organization of healthcare and pharmacy;
  • Master’s in Public health and health management;
  • Bachelor’s in Social Sciences (social worker);

Momchil Baev holds a PhD in “Social medicine and organization of healthcare and pharmacy” from the Medical university of Sofia and is a founder of Astra Forum Foundation. He has over 10 years of experience in healthcare, in his capacity of public health expert, including in sexual health. Throughout his professional career he has focused on advocacy initiatives for policy changes, healthcare access and treatment of under-privileged social groups. He has interest in the bio-behavioral sciences, infectious diseases, epidemiology and the relation between human’s health and environment, known as environmental health. He is occupied with the systematic issues of the healthcare system and the shortage of human resources in the Bulgarian health system. At present, he is a member of the HIV/STI Experts Council to the Minister of Health and Manager of the sexual health and HIV program of Single Step Foundation.

He is a member of numerous national and international scientific organizations and societies and author of research works on topics related to healthcare and medicine and history which is his hobby.   

Georgi_Baev_NVU-1

Georgi Baev

Professional qualification:

• PhD in National security;
• Master’s in Administrative and information security (security expert);
•Master’s in Philosophy (pedagogue in Philosophy);

Biography
Georgi Baev

Professional qualification:

  • PhD in National security
  • Master’s in Administrative and information security (security expert)
  • Master’s in Philosophy (pedagogue in Philosophy)
  • Bachelor’s in Social sciences (Social worker)
  • Lecturer – Assistant professor at National Military University “Vasil Levski”.

Georgi Baev holds a PhD in national security, with the major “Organization and management of defence and security” and is currently a lecturer at the National Military University “Vasil Levski”. At present, he is an assistant professor at the department “National and regional security” within the Faculty of ground military.

His interests are in the sector of security and ecology via remote methods for Earth research and monitoring. He is co-author of a patent for the invention “Satellite spectrophotometer” at the Space Research and Technology Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. He is author of articles in international and Bulgarian journals in the field of space and security. He is a member of the working group “Space policy” at the Ministry of Economy and is an expert of the Bulgarian Standardization Institute, in his capacity of a member of the Technical Committee “Security of society and the citizens” on the verification and adoption of ISO and Bulgarian State Standards.

He is the laureate of “Eureka” Foundation for young inventor of 2017. He was awarded by the Minister of defence for manifested high professionalism and achieved results. He is the head of the university club “Space Division” – for trainees with outstanding interest in space technologies, security and reaction to crises. The club has been operational since 2015 and its members have participated in over 20 competitions and have won numerous awards in the country and abroad. 

He is a member of national and international organizations, among which the “Bulgarian Philosophy Society”, Lions Club and others. His hobbies are photography and philosophy.

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Luis Lomeli

Professional qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economic Development
• Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American literature

Biography
Luis Lomeli

Professional Qualification:

  • Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economic Development
  • Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American literature

Luis Lomeli, is a Mexican-American, born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised in California, USA. He graduated with high honors from the University of California, Davis with two bachelor’s degrees, one in International Relations with focus in economic development and the other one in Spanish with focus in Latin American literature.

During his college intellectual experience, he was an editor for a bilingual periodic publication called “La Palabra” where he also published poems, short stories, and articles. He also studied for one year as an exchange student at the University of Chile in Santiago, where he worked as an intern for the national newspaper “The Clinic” and also conducted a one-year research project about the political power of the church in relation with the ownership of land and property. After college Luis worked with children with autism, which was a very rewarding personal and professional experience.

Since 2006 to 2016 he worked in property management and the financial banking sector in California. In 2010 he was a Peace Corps volunteer as an English teacher in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. In 2011 he took the same position in Bulgaria (Gorna Oryahovitsa) where he was also an intern Project Manager for a Roma NGO until 2013. In 2016 Luis moved permanently to Sofia, Bulgaria and co-founded the first of its kind International American camp in the Black Sea. He also co-founded the NGO “Vox Tua” in 2018, a non-profit that focuses on youth development.

Luis is an individual who believes that everyone has something special to offer the community they live in. As an immigrant himself, he champions initiatives that foster equality and diversity. He believes education is the key to economic and personal development of any society. Education should never be a back burner in any political or policy-making agenda. Luis believes “we can only move forward as people and communities with unity and great minds willing to be relentless for the search of knowledge”.

ADVISORY BOARD

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Prof. Radostina Aleksandrova

Biography
Prof. Radostina Aleksandrova

Prof. Radostina Aleksandrova graduated with honours in “Biochemistry and microbiology”, specialization “Virology” at the Faculty of Biology of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, holds a PhD in “Virology” and is a professor in “Morphology” at the Institute of experimental morphology, pathology and anthropology with museum – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IEMPAM – BAS).

She has specialized in the Cancer Research Institute to the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, Slovakia; the National Medical Centre in Budapest, Hungary; the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and the University of Reykjavik, Island. She has attended short training courses in Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania and Belarus. She is part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Biology of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – since 1998 at the laboratory of Virology from 2007 to 2015 at the Department of Genetics and since 2016 at the Department of Biochemistry.

In the period of 2011-2014 she taught practical classes in “Human biology” to medical students at the Faculty of Medicine of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, since 2012 she is a lecturer at the School for PhD candidates of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She is a tutor of graduates, PhD candidates, post-PhD and specializing students from the country and abroad. She is an author of over 180 publications in scientific journals from conferences, of over 650 participation in national and international scientific forums; of more than 50 popular science articles. She is a head of projects, funded by the “Scientific research” Fund to the Ministry of Education and Science, of bilateral projects for cooperation between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and similar organizations abroad (Romania, Greece, Spain, Lithuania, Belarus, Egypt). She is a member of the Management Board of 6 initiatives of the European program COST. She has participated in the organization and implementation of over 60 scientific forums and schools. She is a member of the editorial boards of national and international journals, of the Bulgarian Union of Scientists (Immunology Society, Microbiology Society) and of the Bulgarian Anatomic Society.

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Prof. Radka
Argirova

Biography
Prof. Radka Argirova

Prof. Radka Argirova, doctor of medical sciences, has graduated in Medicine at the Higher Medical Institute – Sofia. She was awarded the scientific degree “PhD” at the Institute of Virology “Ivanovski” in Moscow, after working for three years with animal retroviruses. After she returned to Sofia, she worked at the National Oncology Center and at the Institute of General and Comparative Pathology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, once again onto a model of bird and mouse retroviruses. In the period of 1980 – 1981 she was a scholar of the Humboldt Foundation in Germany and in 1985 was conferred the scientific rank “associate professor”. Again, in 1985 at a specialized congress in Hamburg, she received from the American virologist Robert Gallo and imported in Bulgaria the cultivation of the HIV virus in human cells for scientific-research and diagnostic purposes. This way the work on HIV/AIDS in Bulgaria was initiated as well as the blood bank control. Prof. Argirova organized the first laboratory for screening and confirmation of the HIV-infection at the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD). Later on, she became representative of Bulgaria and Eastern Europe to the Global AIDS Program of the WHO in Geneva. For two years, she served as a Deputy-minister of healthcare. She took part in missions of the Global AIDS Program of the UN (UNAIDS) in the Phillipines, Congo, Greece etc. After she successfully defended her PhD thesis in 1995, in 1997 she was elected as a professor in Virology. After her retirement in 2013 she was invited as a doctor-virologist at the Clinical Laboratory of Acibadem City Clinic Tokuda Hospital and Diagnostic-Consulting Centre, Sofia, where she works at present.

After the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic, she actively took part in the introduction of specific diagnostics, she was elected as member of the Medical Expert Council for COVID-19 and is author of the diagnostic algorithm for infection confirmation.

She is the scientific tutor of 7 PhD candidates and 13 masters in Virology, author/co-author of more than 100 articles, 9 monographies in Bulgarian language, part-time lecturer in Virology, long-term consultant in Virology of Kazakhstan, chairlady of the Medical-Biological section of the Humboldt Union in Bulgaria.     

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Violeta
Stoycheva

Biography
Violeta Stoycheva

Associate professor Violeta Stoycheva, PhD (Stoycheva – in the scientific publications, document for names’ identification). Associate professor Violeta Stoycheva, PhD is a lecturer in Methodology of history tutoring at Department “Modern and most recent history of Bulgaria” to the Faculty of History of Veliko Tarnovo University “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”. She holds a Master’s (1982), graduate of the Tarnovo’s Hhistory Faculty with which almost her entire professional career is related (since 1984 at present). In 1993 she graduated in “Management and marketing of the business company” at the Higher business school to the Higher Financial Economic Academy “D. A. Tsenov” in the town of Svishtov. She has worked for two years as a history teacher and teacher in moral and law in Professional high school “Professor Dr. Asen Zlatarov” in the town of Botevgrad.

In addition to the preparation of future teachers and the continuing education and qualification of pedagogic experts, Violeta Stoycheva undertakes active work for projects and participation in nongovernmental organizations. She has many years of practical experience thanks to participations in national and international teams under educational programs and research projects of the Council of Europe, EUROCLIO, dvv-International, the Delegation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, European Information Centre – Veliko Tarnovo, Ministry of Education and Science, Centre for School Education Quality Control and Evaluation (CSEQCE), Regional Educational Management – Veliko Tarnovo and others. She was expert in initiatives at international level (PISA, ICCS, dvv-international), at national level (Ministry of Education and Science, Centre for School and Pre-school Education Evaluation, NSPIB) and at regional level (European Information Center – Veliko Tarnovo).

Violeta Stoycheva is a long-term member of the Management Board of several foundations: European Information Centre – Veliko Tarnovo (until 2016), the National Association of History Lecturers in Bulgaria, Foundation “Professor Rumyana Kusheva”. At regional level, she takes part in Association “Historian’s club – Veliko Tarnovo”, and at international level - in activities of the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO).

Her scientific interests, in addition to didactics and methodology of history education are related to gender education, civil education, pedagogy of inheritance, verbal history, history of everyday life and of Bulgarian communism. She is an author and co-author of the textbooks in history and civilizations and school manuals, as well as numerous publications in the country and abroad.

Violeta Stoycheva is a member of the editors’ team of the methodology Journal of Dialogue in history (National Association of history teachers in Bulgaria), of the digital scientific-methodological Journal of Education and qualification to the Department for continuing education and qualification of pedagogic specialists (Veliko Tarnovo University “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”) and International Journal of The New Approaches in Social Studies (IJONASS) – Turkey.

Within her university undertakings, Violeta Stoycheva is head of Department “Introductory and continuing qualification” during the first mandate of the founded Department of continuing education and qualification of pedagogic specialists (2016 – 2019). She is collaborator of the Centre for Communism Research to the Department “Modern and most recent history of Bulgaria” to the Faculty of History of Veliko Tarnovo University “St. st. Cyrel and Methodius”. She is founder and co-head of the Leaders’ Academy to the Faculty of History of the Veliko Tarnovo University “St. st. Cyrel and Methodius” and of the students’ informal group Atelier “History and memory”.

Tihomir

Tihomir Rangelov

Biography
Tihomir Rangelov

Tihomir Rangelov, PhD is a linguist. He specializes in documenting and describing the language versions (languages, dialects etc.). He is an expert in the North Germаn (Scandinavian) and Pacific languages of the Austronesian language family. Since 2017 he has been working on documenting and describing the endangered language Ahamb that is spoken by 950 people in the state of Vanuatu. He is the author of grammar book and Ahamb dictionary. At present, he works in the Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology “Max Plank” in Leipzig, Germany on documenting, describing, historical reconstruction and classification via phonetic analysis of the languages being spoken in Vanuatu and the neighbouring states. He has graduated “Scandinavistics” at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, “Iceland philology” and “Computer linguistics” at the Iceland University of Reykjavik. He obtained his PhD with a thesis in Oceanic languages and language documentation at the University of Waikato of New Zealand.

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Lyuben Domozetsky

Biography
Lyuben Domozetsky

Lyuben Domozetsky, PhD was born in 1988 in the town of Blagoevgrad. He graduated in major “History of art”, obtaining  Bachelor’s degree and “History of art and cultural heritage” as a Master’s of the National Academy of Art. He has a PhD in History of art and is a part-time lecturer at the National Academy of Art. Since 2015 he is a curator in the team of Sofia City Art Gallery and manager of fund “Fine Art and Sculpture” at the gallery. Meanwhile, he is occupied with scientific illustration while recreating flora and fauna species. In his capacity of freelance artist, he has realized two individual exhibitions at gallery Little bird place. He has interests, research works and publications in Medieval art in the Bulgarian lands, Byzantine iconography and art in Bulgaria of the first half of the XX century. Additionally, he is interested in studying the nature, he loves photographing wildlife and is restlessly touring and getting acquainted with the Bulgarian mountains and their diverse flora and fauna.

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Antoni Rangachev

Biography
Antoni Rangachev

Antoni Rangachev, PhD is a mathematician working in algebraic geometry, singularity theory, and commutative algebra. He is a "Peter Beron" fellow and a Senior Scientific Advisor at the International Center for Mathematical Sciences - Sofia associated with the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Since 2017 Dr. Rangachev has been a Dickson Instructor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. 

Dr. Rangachev is a graduate of Sofia High School of Mathematics. He obtained his BSc in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his PhD from Northeastern University (NEU), USA under the direction of Steven Kleiman and Terence Gaffney. He is the 2017 recipient of the NEU Dean of College of Science award for Excellence in Research for "outstanding research in the mathematics of singularities". At the University of Chicago, Dr. Rangachev is the Principal Investigator of two international research projects. He is the organizer of the university seminar in algebraic geometry and of an international conference in metric geometry of singularities held in Paris in June 2021. Dr. Rangachev was an invited speaker at numerous research seminars and conferences in Chicago, Boston, Princeton, Paris, Marseille, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Vienna, Sofia, etc.  He was a visiting fellow at the Institut Mathematique de Jissue (IMJ-PRG) and the University of Paris (Diderot), Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) in Rio de Janeiro, the University of Vienna, Steklov Mathematical Institute, etc. 

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LUDMILA PANEVA photo

Ludmila Paneva

Executive director
Biography
Ludmila Paneva

Professional Qualification:

  • Master's degree in Medicinal Chemistry, Sofia University
  • Master's degree in Ecochemistry, Sofia University
  • Bachelor’s degree in Analytical chemistry, Sofia University
  • Postgraduate in Chemistry teacher , Sofia University

Ludmila Paneva has over 18 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry (synthesis, analysis and sales of drugs and cosmetics). She works in a highly competitive field and follows a professional principle in the development of brand, which is based on the Ethic Code and good commercial practices.

She has participated in the organization and holding of medical forums, working round tables, focus groups and other initiatives related to expert exchange of experience and sharing of clinical information.

She deals with the creation of individual training, teams formation and ‘rehabilitation’ of small teams /medical teams, medical centers, pharmaceutical companies/.

She is mother of two teenagers. In addition to their secondary education she observes with interest the actions of the Bulgarian educational system.

Lussy loves to travel and solve puzzles. The ice rink and shorttrack are still hers temptation and keeps the child naivete in her smile.

MILK1951

Denitsa Ivanova

Project coordinator
Biography
Denitsa Ivanova

Denitsa have significant interest in the field of civil rights and environmental protection. She has long experience in the non-governmental sector and participation in various socially significant initiatives.

She enjoys travelling and playing tennis in her spare time.

Nina Todorova

Nina Todorova

Organizational associate
Biography
Nina Todorova

Nina Todorova is born in the town of Svoge where she completed her secondary vocational education. She has been living and working in Sofia for more than 10 years. Studied at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and graduated in 2016 with a Master`s degree in “Qualification and redeployment of the workforce”.

She has extensive experience in working with clients in both educational and human resources fields. Participated in organizing and conducting in-person and online trainings for principals of educational institutions and teachers.

Nina has a desire to develop her knowledge and skills related to human resources and more specifically - recruitment and staff training. She has a high sense of organization and responsibility towards commitments.

She has two small children who fill most of her day, but with whom she spends the most enjoyable, exploratory and exhausting walks.

Oleg Danevski

Oleg Danevski

Graphic designer
Biography
Oleg Danevski

In his nearly 30 year long career as a graphic designer, Oleg Valentinov Danevski has worked for daily newspapers “Monitor”, “Novinar”, “Meridian Match”, and later as an art director for magazines like “Playboy”, “Maxim” and “Cosmopolitan”. He has also worked for “Egoist”, bulgarian “Forbes” and “Men’s Health”. His dream is to become Diego Maradona and his soccer skills have made him exactly like Maradona, only in a different field - design and preprint. Turning back on his career he realizes that he is a contemporary accomplice in the birth of the newest, unrestricted Bulgarian press in the years of transitioning to democracy.

Meanwhile he becomes an author of his own family and daughter. Later on he becomes a father of three. Three dogs. He loves great food, soccer, good cinema, good books, his friends, his big “Balkan” family and life with a cause - a small

step every day is enough to make him feel valuable. He admires Renaissance figures that have a variety of interests in different fields, but he also realizes that he lacks certain skills to become an astronaut, for example. He believes that it is enough to be good at telling stories through visualization.

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Sonia Todorova

Moderator social networks
Biography
Sonya Todorova

Sonia Todorova has graduated from the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, and afterwards got her master's degree from the New Bulgarian University, “Journalism”.

Even as a teenager, she volunteered at the local radio and television in her hometown of Dobrich. She worked as a journalist at Bg Voice, and before that at Gospodari.com and Darik Radio.

Sonia has been in the world of digital marketing for more than 2 years and has no intention of leaving it. According to her, every organization, company or enterprise is lost if it is not actively present in social networks.

Sonia devotes her free time to theatre and sports.

Mario

Mario Petrov

Analytics Associate
Biography
Mario Petrov

Mario Petrov was born in 2002 in Kyustendil and is a member of the team of Science in the Crisis – "Наука в кризата". Mario is Biochemistry student at Technical University of Munich. He has graduated the Professional high school of ecology and biotechnologies “Professor Dr. Asen Zlatarov” – city of Sofia, with major “Technology of pharmaceutical and perfumery, cosmetic products and professional qualification “Chemist-technologist” (3rd professional-qualification degree).

In 2017 together with a team managed by him, he won the first place at the National competition in natural sciences and ecology and by 2020 his teams won other competitions in natural sciences, ecology and chemical technologies. He graduated “Company management” at the National Management School in June  2020. He chaired the Student Council in his high school from 2018 to 2021, and in the period of 2020-2021 – the Sofia Student Council.

Being a part of the team of Science in the Crisis – Наука в кризата, Mario monitors, analyzes and popularizes information from the German scientific institutions and organizations concerning the topic COVID-19, as well as coronavirus spreading among children and students in Europe. He is fluent in German and English languages.

Viktor

Viktor Iliev

Consultant
Biography
Viktor Iliev

Dr. Viktor Iliev was born in the city of Sofia in 1992. He graduated “Medicine” with honors at the Medical University of Pleven. As soon as in the first year he joined the community of the Association of Medical Students in Bulgaria – Pleven. His activity there was mainly about the role of SR to foreign students on exchange. During his tuition, he spent most of his leisure time in hospital environment as a volunteer. He spent time mainly in surgical wards because of the interest in this field and acquired additional skills. 

At present, Dr. Iliev is a specialist-doctor at the University Multi-profile Hospital for Active treatment “Tsaritsa Yoanna – ISUL” city of Sofia and develops in the otorhinolaryngology diseases. During the process of his tuition, he took part in numerous conferences in the country, at which he won prizes. This was possible thanks to the team work skills he additionally developed while preparing for the particular events. His desire to experience the diversity of “Medicine” resulted in two internships within European programs in general surgery and psychiatry.

During his day-to-day work with patients he targets problems and for changing them he would like to work and start with the most fundamental – personal example. He takes personally the issues when it comes to the doctor-patient relationships and works for changing the established stereotypes.

He graduated with honours the Natural Science and Mathematics High School in the town of Montana, after his family moved in town when he was 10-year-old. During his primary education, he took part in numerous mathematical competitions and won prizes. In his high school years, he became a member of Interact Montana (youth club of Rotary International) and invested his time in charity causes.

Georgi

Georgi Miloshev

Consultant
Biography
Georgi Miloshev

Georgi Miloshev was born in 1994.  He is a teacher in biology and health education in the 125th Secondary school “Boyan Penev '' in Sofia. Georgi is also  a PhD candidate in “Genetics and bioinformatics” in the Faculty of biology of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. In 2019 he acquired Master’s degree in “Genetics and genomics” from Sofia University and in 2017 – Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology, again from the same university. He underwent practical tuition in a real working environment in the Institute of Biology and Immunology of Procreation of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBIP-BAS). He completed his pre-graduation practice in the Genetic laboratory of Specialized Obstetrician-Gynaecologist Hospital for Active Treatment “Doctor Shterev ''. He took part in numerous training sessions for additional qualification on topics related to innovative tutoring methods, play, web instruments and for the development of skills that promote personal development in children and students.

He holds workshops in genetics in Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski '' to students of the majors “Biology and chemistry” and “Biology and English language”. He is also a first year teacher to students from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski '', faculty “Pedagogy”. He takes part in projects of “Scientific research Fund''.

Before choosing a career in science and education, Georgi worked as a credit consultant.

Georgi describes himself using the words said by John W. Schlatter: “A doctor is allowed to live life in this world into a single magical moment. I am allowed to take care so that life is born again and again, every day – with new questions, ideas and friendships. An architect knows that if he or she builds carefully, his or her creation could sustain the centuries. A teacher knows that if he builds with love and truth, what he builds would last forever. I am a warrior. Every day I battle against sneaking violence, fear, superstitions, ignorance and apathy. Yet I have great allies: intelligence, curiosity, parental support, individuality, artistry, faith, love and laughter – they all gather underneath my flags and with their support I am invincible. So, I have a past that is rich in memories. I have a present that is a real challenge, full of adventures, because I am allowed to spend my days with the future.”

Sjuleiman

Syuleyman Syuleymanov

Consultant
Biography
Syuleyman Syuleymanov

Syuleyman Syuleymanov completed his education in technical sciences at Rousse University “Angel Kanchev” with a Master’s degree in engineering with a major “Ecology and environmental protection technology”. He acquired his Bachelor’s degree in the same major.

His passion is bee keeping and at present he is an agricultural producer of honey and bee products. He is interested in environmental issues and misuse of pesticides in agriculture, which damages the environment and contributes for the high death rate among bees. During his tuition, he took part in various professional projects and papers that developed his organizational skills and interests in sustainable agriculture. Carpentry and fruit picking are his hobbies.

He is interested in the government policies being implemented in view of ecology, sustainable economy and environmental protection. 

VOLUNTEERS

Dimitar

Dimitar Ferdinandov

Biography
Dimitar Ferdinandov

Dimitar Ferdinandov was born in Plovdiv and is a member of the team of Science in the Crisis. Dimitar is an Aerospace Engineering student at the University of Birmingham and is actively involved in science communication, youth politics and volunteering. In October 2020, he was among the distinguished students in the project "Excellence in Bulgaria" of the newspaper "24 hours" and the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria. He is a winner of many national competitions and has repeatedly represented Bulgaria at international competitions of foreign universities and organizations (such as MIT, Khan Academy and CERN). He communicates a variety of scientific topics in his YouTube channel in a comprehensible manner.

Since 2019, he is the PR of the Bulgarian Youth Delegates to the UN. In the 2018/2019 school year, he is a chairman of the Student Council of Plovdiv Language School. Today, he is working to establish a National Student Parliament - a project funded by Key Activity 3 of Erasmus + - in partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bulgaria Association. Since 2016 she has been an active volunteer in the association, and in 2017 she nominated him for Volunteer of the Year. In 2019 he mentored volunteers at the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation that hosted the European Capital of Culture.

He speaks English and German. Dimitar dreams of inspiring more children to develop in the fields of science and to contribute to tackling perhaps the most daring challenge for humanity - to return to the stars.

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Nicole Dobreva

Biography
Nicole Dobreva
Her research interests are in the field of brain-computer interaction and drug addiction rehabilitation. Her clinical goal is to work with new neurobiology-based therapies to rehabilitate addicts and treat other disorders of the mind. Her research interests are in the field of computer-brain communication, with the aim of increasing the quality of life of people with disabilities and facilitating the rehabilitation process for those in need.
 
Nicole is a volunteer at the Astra Forum Foundation because she believes in science and believes that it is extremely important that people have access to both new developments in science and the scientific foundations of our society. She is also a volunteer in other Bulgarian initiatives because she wants people to be educated.
neven

Nevena Zaharieva

Biography
Nevena Zaharieva

Nevena Zaharieva was born in Sofia. She studied at the National Science and Mathematics High School "Academic Lyubomir Chakalov". In 2013 graduated in pharmacy from Medical University - Sofia. In 2019, she majored in the Analysis of Medicinal Products, and in 2021 she defended her dissertation on "In silico analysis of immunogenic proteins of bacterial origin". She has experience with data processing and analysis, as well as applying machine learning methods. Nevena has worked in various fields of pharmacy, and her current interests in this direction are related to improving the daily life of fellow pharmacists, modernization and digitization of the profession. In her free time, she is involved in environmental causes. She is a vegan by conviction and a member of the Bulgarian Vege Society. She is actively involved in growing vegetables and works to promote gardening in an urban environment.

Tihomir

Tihomir Rangelov

Biography
Tihomir Rangelov

Tihomir Rangelov, PhD is a linguist. He specializes in documenting and describing the language versions (languages, dialects etc.). He is an expert in the North Germаn (Scandinavian) and Pacific languages of the Austronesian language family. Since 2017 he has been working on documenting and describing the endangered language Ahamb that is spoken by 950 people in the state of Vanuatu. He is the author of grammar book and Ahamb dictionary. At present, he works in the Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology “Max Plank” in Leipzig, Germany on documenting, describing, historical reconstruction and classification via phonetic analysis of the languages being spoken in Vanuatu and the neighbouring states. He has graduated “Scandinavistics” at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, “Iceland philology” and “Computer linguistics” at the Iceland University of Reykjavik. He obtained his PhD with a thesis in Oceanic languages and language documentation at the University of Waikato of New Zealand.

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Lyuben Domozetsky

Biography
Lyuben Domozetsky

Lyuben Domozetsky, PhD was born in 1988 in the town of Blagoevgrad. He graduated in major “History of art”, obtaining  Bachelor’s degree and “History of art and cultural heritage” as a Master’s of the National Academy of Art. He has a PhD in History of art and is a part-time lecturer at the National Academy of Art. Since 2015 he is a curator in the team of Sofia City Art Gallery and manager of fund “Fine Art and Sculpture” at the gallery. Meanwhile, he is occupied with scientific illustration while recreating flora and fauna species. In his capacity of freelance artist, he has realized two individual exhibitions at gallery Little bird place. He has interests, research works and publications in Medieval art in the Bulgarian lands, Byzantine iconography and art in Bulgaria of the first half of the XX century. Additionally, he is interested in studying the nature, he loves photographing wildlife and is restlessly touring and getting acquainted with the Bulgarian mountains and their diverse flora and fauna.

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Antoni Rangachev

Biography
Antoni Rangachev

Antoni Rangachev, PhD is a mathematician working in algebraic geometry, singularity theory, and commutative algebra. He is a "Peter Beron" fellow and a Senior Scientific Advisor at the International Center for Mathematical Sciences - Sofia associated with the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Since 2017 Dr. Rangachev has been a Dickson Instructor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. 

Dr. Rangachev is a graduate of Sofia High School of Mathematics. He obtained his BSc in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his PhD from Northeastern University (NEU), USA under the direction of Steven Kleiman and Terence Gaffney. He is the 2017 recipient of the NEU Dean of College of Science award for Excellence in Research for "outstanding research in the mathematics of singularities". At the University of Chicago, Dr. Rangachev is the Principal Investigator of two international research projects. He is the organizer of the university seminar in algebraic geometry and of an international conference in metric geometry of singularities held in Paris in June 2021. Dr. Rangachev was an invited speaker at numerous research seminars and conferences in Chicago, Boston, Princeton, Paris, Marseille, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Vienna, Sofia, etc.  He was a visiting fellow at the Institut Mathematique de Jissue (IMJ-PRG) and the University of Paris (Diderot), Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA) in Rio de Janeiro, the University of Vienna, Steklov Mathematical Institute, etc. 

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