I was born and live in Bulgaria – a beautiful country, with a rich historical and cultural heritage, unique nature and high biodiversity.

My first encounter with bryophytes was at the beginning of my MSc thesis, which aimed to establish the bioaccumulation capacity of aquatic mosses from the longest Bulgarian river originating in the country, Maritsa River. This was the time when I fell in love with aquatic mosses and rivers.

I graduated with a degree in “Ecology and Environmental Protection” at the Faculty of Biology, Plovdiv University in 2000 and immediately after that I became a PhD student in the scientific specialty “Ecology and Protection of Ecosystems” at the Institute of Botany – BAS, now IBER – BAS.

A huge influence on my interests in the field of ecology and bryology was exerted by my scientific supervisor – Prof. Lilyana Yurukova. She taught me many things, but most of all to never stop asking myself questions and never give up looking for the answers. For these years, I worked also under the supervision of Dr. Anna Ganeva, who revealed the beauty of mosses to me under a microscope.

At the moment, I have over 20 years of experience in monitoring and assessment of the ecological status of rivers and lakes, and as a project coordinator in the field of the environment. I have participated as a national expert in the intercalibration programs of the European Commission on the biological quality element aquatic macrophytes. I am also the country representative for ICP Vegetation, an international research program that investigates the effects of air pollutants on crops and (semi) natural vegetation. My work has enabled me to meet many specialists from whom I have learned a lot and continue to learn. Many of them, to my joy, are no longer just colleagues, but friends.

Fortunately, I have a job that gives me also the opportunity to work with young people, so at the moment I have supervised over 50 successfully defended BSc and MSc theses, 3 defended PhD thesis and 2 full-time doctoral students. Many of them are dedicated to aquatic bryophytes.
The most enjoyable part of the work is when I’m out in the field, in the river, when I hear and feel the running water, and and then comes the happiest moment in which I find the moss and can breathe it in and touch it.

To me aquatic bryophytes are unique organisms and have exceptional survival strategies and ecological adaptations. What is particularly interesting to me is the way they react to different kinds of stressors, their ability to survive in conditions that at first glance seem impossible. They affect aquatic habitats in various aspects. They have also affected my professional path for which I am grateful.

https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6602931609
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5747-255X
WoS Author ID: AAB-9805-2021