Yoanna Katreva

Professional Experience
2023 – 2026: Biologist, Division of Paleobotany and Palynology, IBER-BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria
2022 – 2023: Technician, Division of Paleobotany and Palynology, IBER-BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria
2018 – 2025: Participation in several archaeological excavations and field schools as a field archaeologist in Bulgaria (Medieval Fortress Ryahovets: 2018-2025; Tell Yunatsite: 2023-2025; Kabyle, 2021; Tell Sokol-Himitliyata: 2021; Late Neolithic site near Aldomirovrtsi: 2021, etc.) and Greece (Dikili Tash: 2023, 2024).

Education, Traineeships and Qualifications
2026 – 2028: PhD Student in Botany at the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Dimiter Ivanov, IBER-BAS, Dr. Elena Marinova, Laboratory for Archaobotany, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege am Regierungspräsidium, Germany.
2023 – 2025: M.A. in Archaeology, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria.
2024: Erasmus+ Traineeship Program (5 months' duration). Training in palynology, dendrochronology, and anthracology; Sending Institution: Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria. Host Institution: State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Supervisors: Dr. Elena Marinova, Dr. Oliver Nelle
2019 – 2023: B.A. in Archaeology, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria.
2014 – 2019: Professional Language School "Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov", Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. (English and French).

Awards, Grants and Scholarships
2026: Oscar Montelius Foundation Travel Grant for participation in the 32nd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA), Athens, Greece.
2025: AASP Student Travel Grant for participation in the 57th Annual Meeting of AASP – The Palynological Society, Rabat, Morocco.
2025: First Prize, Student of the Year, Humanities and Social Sciences Category, National Assembly of Student Councils of Bulgaria.
2024: Honorable Mention, Vaughn Bryant Best Student Poster Award, 56th Annual Meeting of AASP – The Palynological Society, University of Montpellier, France.
2024: “Alma Mater” Award, presented by the Rector of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
2023: First Prize, Student of the Year Competition, Humanities and Social Sciences Category, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Participation in Projects
2023 – 2024: National Scientific Program “Environmental Protection and Reduction of the Risks of Adverse Events and Natural Disasters,” Priority Axis 1.6, Task 11: “Changes in Vegetation Across Bulgaria During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene – A Key to Predicting Ecosystem Responses Under Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure.” Working Group Leader: Prof. Dr. Dimitar Ivanov (IBER-BAS).
2025: "Interdisciplinary Research: Potential and Prospects in Contemporary Studies of Prehistory (7th–2nd Millennia BCE)."; Project Leader: Dr. Iliana Borisova-Katsarova, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
2024 – 2026: Distributed System of Scientific Collections – Bulgaria (DiSSCo-BG). Project Leader: Prof. Boyko Georgiev, IBER-BAS.
2024 – 2028: COST Action CA23116: Open Palaeoecological Data – Analysing the Past to Build Foresight (PalaeOpen). Action Chair: Dr. Thomas Giesecke, Utrecht University.

Meetings Organised
2026: Co-organiser, Session #23, “Scaling Up the Small: Assessing Microarchaeological Frameworks in Southeast Europe and Eastern Mediterranean”, 32nd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA), Athens, Greece (with Evanthia Stefania-Kourti).
2026: Co-organiser, Training School on Quantitative Numerical Analysis and Data Stewardship, COST Action CA23116 – Open Palaeoecological Data: Analysing the Past to Build Foresight (PalaeOpen) (with Dr. Thomas Giesecke, Dr. Xavier Benito, Dr. Spasimir Tonkov, etc.) https://www.bas.bg/?p=65972&lang=en.
2025: Co-organiser, Spring Conference of the Association for Environmental Archaeology, “Of Mountains and Rivers: Perspectives in Environmental Archaeology”, Sofia, Bulgaria (with Dr. Mila Andonova-Katsarski (Project Director), Dr. Daniela Stoyanova, Dr. Elena Marinova, etc.) https://envarch.net/conferences.

Languages
Bulgarian – native; English – B2; French – A1; German – A1

Memberships
AASP – The Palynological Society; European Archaeological Association (EAA); Association for Environmental Archaeology

Driving License
B (2019)

Computer Skills
ECDL – Word, Excel, Outlook, Files, PPT, Access; Adobe InDesign и Photoshop; Tilia (3.0.3); QGIS 3.