I began my scientific endeavor at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, where I graduated with a B.Sc. degree in molecular biology. During my four-year study, I was part of the biochemistry laboratory of Assoc. Prof. Lyuben Zagorchev. I defended my bachelor’s thesis in the same lab, investigating pathogenesis-related proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) subjected to a combination of biotic and abiotic stress factors. My passion for biochemistry evolved further and led to obtaining an M.Sc. degree from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where I studied and worked as a student researcher for two years. Working in Fröhlich’s lab at Genecenter (Munich) enriched my knowledge and practical skills in proteomics and introduced me to the concepts of LC-MS analysis of biomolecules. For my master’s thesis (six months), I joined Víctor Parro García’s group at the Astrobiology Center in Spain, which focuses on biomolecules in planetary exploration. I investigated the sedimentary organic matter of a glacial lake on the southwestern coast of Greenland with an interest in the search for life on icy worlds in the Solar System.

The above experiences made me passionate about understanding our origin and how life emerged. This includes studying how organisms adapt to extreme environments within our universe and figuring out the limits of life.

Being part of DarChemDN is yet another step I am honored to take in order to achieve my long-term goal of answering the question: How did it all begin?