Plamen Petkov received his degree in Physics from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria in 1981 and his PhD in Physics in 1994. He has worked at postdoc positions in I. Physicalisches Institut, RWTH, Aachen, Germany, University of Odense, Denmark, University of Bonn, Germany. He is a full professor of applied physics at the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy and head of Physics Department and Thin Film Technology Laboratory. His research activity is mainly devoted to electrical and optical properties of semiconductor materials for various technological applications. He is author of more than 170 archival refereed journal papers, co-author and co-editor of 6 books, 10 patents and inventions on topics of solid state physics.
Mohammed Essaid Achour joined the Faculty of Sciences at Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco, in 1999. From 1997 to 2011, he also taught at the Royal Military Academy in Meknes, Morocco, where he contributed to the academic development of future professionals. Beyond his teaching role, Professor Achour is an expert evaluator and a member of the scientific committee at the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) and the Moroccan Center for Innovation (CIM). His expertise has earned him the title of Honorary Guest Professor at the University of Brest in France, and he has been a visiting scientist and researcher at prestigious universities and research centers worldwide. He is the founder of the International Symposium on Dielectric Materials and Applications (ISyDMA), the Moroccan Spring School on Advanced Materials (MoSSAM), and the International School on Advanced Materials (InSAM). His research interests lie in electromagnetic and electrical properties, microwave characterization, and dielectric responses of composite materials, including carbon dots, graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon black, and natural fibers in both natural and synthetic polymers. A dedicated researcher, he has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers published in leading journals, along with 20 book chapters and 8 guest editorials. Through his extensive contributions to research, education, and international collaboration, Professor Achour continues to shape the field of advanced materials and inspire the next generation of scientists.
Cyril Popov received his MSc in Chemical Engineering in 1990 and PhD in 1994 from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria. In the period 1995-1997 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan and at the Central Laboratory of Photoprocesses, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, working on preparation and investigation of novel materials in the ternary system B-C-N. In 1998 he joined the Institute of Nanostructure Technologies and Analytics (INA), University of Kassel, Germany, where at the present he is professor and leads the Nano Diamond Group. During his early stage career, he was granted JSPS (Japan), Humboldt (Germany) and Marie-Curie (EC) Fellowships. His current research interests cover deposition, characterization, nanostructuring and applications of nano- and ultrananocrystalline diamond films and monocrystalline diamond. He is co-author of more than 160 publications, contributions to conference proceedings and book chapters, and co-editor of 6 books.
