I was born in Sofia,
Bulgaria in a neighborhood called Boyana, located right at the base of Vitosha mountain. When I was 3 years old, my parents and I moved to the USA to join the
Clyde Beaty Cole Brothers circus with the encouragement of other Bulgarian immigrants. A few years later, we settled permanently near Orlando, FL.
Having been around animals all my life, I developed a strong interest in Biology, which generalized to an interest in how the world around us works. It turns out that the field of Physics addresses this topic. I was lucky to be able to cultivate this curiosity through summer schools during high school, like
SSP and the Perimeter Institute's
ISSYP. Ultimately maintaining a love for both sciences, I opted for a double major in
college, which brought me to my biology-themed Physics PhD.
These days, my interests include reading, weight lifting, vegan baking,
amateur photography, and
teaching my cat tricks and taking her on adventures. I am also working on learning my 4th language! Before the global pandemic, I would enjoy visiting Bulgaria in the summers and traveling in general.