Prof. Hristo Pimpirev

Prof. Hristo Pimpirev is a leading figure in Bulgarian Antarctic research and the founder of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute. Born on February 13, 1953, in Sofia, he graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” with a degree in geology in 1978 and earned his Ph.D. in 1986. In 2005, he became a professor of geology at the same university. Prof. Pimpirev participated in Bulgaria’s first Antarctic expedition during the 1987/88 season and has since led the country’s annual scientific campaigns in Antarctica. In 1993, he founded the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and has served as its director ever since. Since 2007, he has also headed the National Center for Polar Research. On January 8, 2013, Prof. Pimpirev became the first official Bulgarian representative to reach the South Pole, as part of an international expedition commemorating the 100th anniversary of Amundsen and Scott’s conquest of the pole. He is the author of 11 books, 10 documentary films, and over 250 scientific publications. He has received numerous awards, including the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius (1st Class) and the title of Honorary Citizen of Lyaskovets. In his honor, a glacier and a beach on Livingston Island in Antarctica bear his name.