Assist. Prof.  Vessela Balabanova-Bozushka, PhD has graduated Faculty of Biology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria in 1999.

In 2000, she started as an Assistant at Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University- Sofia, and since 2010 she has been Assistant Professor at the same Department.

Her PhD thesis is on scientific specialty „Pharmaceutical botany” on topic: “Ecological and biological investigation of Аrnica montana L. (Аsteraceae) and its possibilities for introduction in Bulgaria”.

Assist. Prof. V. Balabanova has specializations in “Medicinal plants and Natural Products” and “Organization and economics of pharmaceutical production”, achieved in MU-Sofia.

In presence, she is Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacognosy and participates in the teaching program “Pharmaceutical botany” in Bulgarian and English language; scientific supervisor of students.

Her scientific research competence is in the field of the following directions of pharmaceutical science and practice: pharmaceutical botany, phytochemistry, chemophenetics, determination of antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity, cultivation and sustainable use of natural resources.

She is an author of more than 30 scientific publications, 1 textbook, with more than 75 citations in indexed journals in J. Citation Reports of Clarivate, Scopus, Web of science, Google scholar.

She is an expert in the field of medicinal plants, cultivation, phytochemistry, metabolic profiling.

She participates in 20 scientific projects funded by Medical Science Council, MU-Sofia, and 2 projects funded by The Bulgarian National Science Fund.

Guest editor in scientific journals: Plants, International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Reviewer in scientific journals: Molecules, Plants, Biochemical Systematics and Ecology.

Member of the Commission on determination of eligible quantities and forbidden to collect medicinal plants from natural habitats in Bulgaria at Ministry of Environment and Water, Bulgaria.

Member of AMAPSEC, Bulgarian Phytochemical Society, Balkan Medical Union, Bulgarian Scientific Pharmaceutical Society, Bulgarian Society of Nutrition and Dietetics, Bulgarian Toxicology Society, EuroTox.

Scientific publications:

1. Gevrenova R, Zengin G, Balabanova V, Voynikov Y, Zheleva-Dimitrova D. C, O – flavonoid glycosides and oleanane-type bidesmosides from Gypsophila perfoliata L. “tekirae” (Caryophyllaceae): Chemophenetic implications. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 2021; 99: 104353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bse.2021.104353
2. Zheleva-Dimitrova D, Zengin G, Ak G, Sinan KI, Mahomoodally MF, Gevrenova R, Balabanova V, Stefanova A, Nedialkov P, Voynikov Y. Innovative Biochemometric Approach to the Metabolite and Biological Profiling of the Balkan Thistle (Cirsium appendiculatum), Asteraceae. Plants; 2021, 10 (10): 2046; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102046
3. Balabanova V, Voynikov Y, Zengin G, Gevrenova R, Zheleva-Dimitrova D. A view on antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activity of Senecio hercynicus herbal drugs. Comptes rendus de l’Académie bulgare des Sciences. 2020; 73 (12): 1673-1680.     
4. GevrenovaR, Zheleva-DimitrovaD, Balabanova V, Voynikov Y, Sinan KI, Mahomoodally MF, Zengin G. Integrated phytochemistry, bio-functional potential and multivariate analysis of Tanacetum macrophyllum (W & Kit.) Sch.Bip. and Telekia speciosa (Schreb.) Baumg. (Asteraceae). Industrial Crops and Products. 2020; 155: 112817                            
5. Balabanova V, Hristov I, Zheleva-Dimitrova D, Sugareva P, Lozanov V, Gevrenova R. Bioinformatic insight into Portulaca oleracea (purslane) of Bulgarian and Greek origin. Acta Biologica Cracoviensia Series Botanica. 2020; 62 (1). doi: 10.24425/abcsb.2020.131662

Scientific projects:

1. Grant № D-102/2021; Medical Science Council, MU-Sofia. Chemophenetic aspects in the Senecioneae tribe (Asteraceae): combination of morphometric and phytochemical analyzes in searching of specialized natural products. Project coordinator: Assoc. Prof. D. Zheleva-Dimitrova
2. Grant № D-99/2021. Medical Science Council, MU-Sofia. LC-MS and GC-MS analyses of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in complex matrices. Project coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Y. Voynikov.
3. Grant № D-119/2020. Medical Science Council, MU-Sofia. Integrated strategy for secondary metabolite identification based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high performance mass spectrometry. Project coordinator: Assoc. Prof. D. Zheleva-Dimitrova
4. Grant № D-123/2020. Medical Science Council, MU-Sofia. UPLC-HRMS analyses of secondary metabolites in aqueous-alcoholic extracts of aerial parts of the plant Portulaca oleracea L. Project coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Y. Voynikov
5. Grant № D-222/2018. Medical Science Council, MU-Sofia.  Stimulation of research in areas with high achievements – 2018. Phytopharmacological potential of Asteraceae plants evaluated by chemical and biological profilings. Project coordinator: Assoc. Prof. R. Gevrenova.