Prof. Daria Vladikova is a distinguished Bulgarian scientist and one of the country's leading figures in hydrogen energy. She is Head of the Department of Hydrogen Technologies and Energy Systems at the Institute of Sustainable Transition and Development at Trakia University in Stara Zagora, and also serves as Professor in Electrochemistry at the Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She holds a PhD in Solid State Chemistry and a Doctor of Sciences degree in Electrochemistry.
She is President of the Bulgarian Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Energy Storage Association, a member of the Governing Board of the European Innovation Digital Hub Zagore, and a member of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance Round Table for Green Hydrogen Production. As Scientific Coordinator of H2START — a TEAMING project between Trakia University, the Bulgarian Hydrogen, Fuel Cell, and Energy Storage Association, the Polytechnic University of Turin, and Italy's Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies — she presented the project at its official launch in March 2025, highlighting its core goals of international cooperation and close industry involvement. H2START is the first centre of its kind in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe, expected to attract top researchers and companies investing in hydrogen technology.
At the Ninth Global Hydrogen Summit in Amsterdam in April 2025, Prof. Vladikova delivered a clear message: Bulgaria has everything it needs to become a hydrogen leader — with abundant solar and wind resources and a strategic position in the Southeast Hydrogen Corridor — but needs to act with urgency to benefit from EU funding and avoid long-term delays.