Ерик Димитров, проф. Венко Бешков (председател на СХБ) и проф. Иван Шопов

Erik Dimitrov, Prof. Venko Beshkov (Chairman of the UChB) and Prof. Ivan Shopov

Erik Dimitrov from the Institute of Polymers of BAS is awarded the “Outstanding Young Scientist in the field of Polymers” prize. It is named after Prof. Ivan Shopov and is awarded by the Union of Chemists in Bulgaria. The award was presented at a ceremony held on 1 March.

Eric Dimitrov’s research is dedicated to the development of novel nanostructured polymeric drug carriers. The polymer carriers are based on spherical nucleic acids of polymer-oligonucleotide conjugates, micellar carriers based on block copolymers, and modified niosomes for systemic delivery of biologically active substances. The results achieved are relevant for the development of a highly promising field in medicine. Three of his papers have been printed in reputed international Q1 journals, Biomacromolecules (impact factor 6.2) and Pharmaceutics (impact factor 5.4).

In addition to his intensive research work, in 2023 Eric Dimitrov was involved in the preparation of the national chemistry team of Bulgaria and contributed to the best performance for Bulgaria in the International Chemistry Olympiads. The team won 2 gold and 2 silver medals at the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad in Zurich, Switzerland, and 4 silver medals at the 57th International Mendeleev Olympiad in Astana, Kazakhstan. In December 2023, he was awarded a diploma by President Rumen Radev for his contribution to the development of the national science teams and raising the international prestige of the country.