Bankova Vassya

Vassya Bankova is a Full Professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry in Sofia, Bulgaria, and a part-time lecturer at the University of Sofia. She is a Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and a member of the International Honey Commission, with a career spanning over four decades.

• MSc in Organic Synthesis (1977)
• PhD in Natural Product Chemistry (1990)
• DSc in Chemistry (2001)

Her research focuses on discovering biologically active compounds from endemic plants, mushrooms, and bee products, particularly propolis. She has developed analytical methods for natural product standardization and contributed to the understanding of propolis chemistry, plant origin, and health benefits. Her work includes coordination of the FP-7 project on bee colonies (2010–2013) and over 220 publications cited 8000+ times (h-index 46).

Recent publications highlight her expertise in tropical propolis, stingless bee products, and NMR profiling for honey origin detection. She has received prestigious awards, including the Elsevier Award for global research excellence (2018).

• Elsevier Award (2018)
• Corresponding Member, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (2014)
• Honorary Member, Greek Scientific Apitherapy Centre (2005)
• Honorary Member, Japanese Propolis Researchers' Association (2003)

As a part-time lecturer at the University of Sofia and editorial board member of international journals, she continues to influence education and academic publishing. Her lab at the Institute of Organic Chemistry advanced propolis research from 2009–2016.