Corresponding Member Evgeni Semkov, Director of the Institute of Astronomy with the National Astronomical Observatory – BAS, has passed away after a short illness, BAS announced.
The funeral will take place on Monday, January 6, at 1:30 p.m. in the Ritual Hall of the Central Sofia Cemeteries, BTA specifies.
He graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“ (1980-1985), Faculty of Physics, majoring in physics, specialization in astronomy.
He has extensive professional experience in the field of astronomy as a methodologist at the City Astronomical Observatory, Sofia (1985-1987), a full-time postgraduate student at the SSA with the NAO (1987-1990), an operator of the 2-m telescope of the NAO Rozhen (1990-1994), a research associate (1997-2006), an associate professor (2006-2015), a professor (since 2015).
He defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor in 1994 and for Doctor of Sciences in 2023. Scientific Secretary of the EA with the NAO (2008-2016), Director of the Institute of Astronomy with the NAO (2016-present). He is the winner of the Award for High Scientific Achievements in the competition on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 2014 and the "Pythagoras" Award for 2024.
Corresponding Member Semkov was a member of the International Astronomical Union, the European Astronomical Union, and the Union of Astronomers in Bulgaria, BAS notes.
„During the two terms of office of Corresponding Member Semkov as Director of the Institute with the National Astronomical Observatory, the institute developed and significantly improved its scientific capacity, increasing its staff qualitatively and quantitatively. Various national and international projects were won, including those funded by ESA and under the EC's "Horizon" program. The EA with the NAO coordinates two sites from the Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructure (RACIO and LOFAR-BG), which contribute to the renewal of optical and development of radio-observatory instruments at a world level.
A number of improvements to the material base were also made both in Sofia and in the NAO Rozhen, where, for the first time since the opening of the observatory in 1981, a new 1.5-m telescope was built. The capacity of the administrative staff of the EA with the NAO was significantly developed,“ BAS notes.
They point out that the main area and subareas of scientific research of Corresponding Member Evgeni Semkov are astrophysics and stellar astronomy. Additional areas and subareas of scientific research are star formation, pre-main sequence stars, photometric and spectral variability of stars, active galactic nuclei, blazars, symbiotic stars.
He has also specialized abroad and has carried out international cooperation with various research observatories and institutes in Armenia, Greece, India. He also participates in collaborations with astronomers and scientific teams from Italy, Japan, the USA, India, France, Germany, Croatia, etc.
With the passing of Corresponding Member Semkov, the astronomical community in our country has lost one of its most prominent representatives, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences also notes.