Prof. Dr. Irena Kostova is one of the world’s top 1% of scientists according to Stanford University's ranking of scientists with the greatest contribution to the development of modern science. She graduated from Mendeleev University in Moscow with the highest grade. She defended her Ph.D. and D.Sc. thesis at MU-Sofia, where she is currently a full Professor in the Chemistry Department. She graduated in her second specialization, “Theoretical bases of medical chemistry”, from MU-Sofia. Her research interests include developmental work in theoretical and coordination chemistry, vibrational spectroscopy, pharmacological investigations of biologically active compounds, etc. She is the author of about 200 publications with a high impact factor and h-index, several textbooks, education book materials, and monographs with around 7000 citations in indexed journals. She has been a lecturer at renowned universities in India, Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, etc. She is a member of the organizing committees of over 30 international conferences. She is an editor of 7 prestigious international scientific journals, a member of the editorial boards of over 25 international journals, and a reviewer for numerous high-ranking journals and international projects. She has created and maintains collaborations with a number of European universities in the framework of joint research projects and European programs.