June 2024
PERSONAL
Name: Stanimira Deleva
Nationality: Bulgarian
EDUCATION
| University | Obtained degree |
| University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica (2016 – 2024) | Doctor of philosophy (Doctorado en ciencias).Honors: cum laude. |
| University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2012 – 2014) | Master of Science Ecology and Environmental Protection. |
| University of Plovdiv “Paisii Hilendarski”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2007 – 2011) | Bachelor of Science. Biology. |
LANGUAGE SKILLS
| Language | Reading | Speaking | Writing |
| English | C2 | C2 | C2 |
| Italian | C1.1. | C1.1. | C1.1. |
| Russian | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| Spanish | B2 | B2 | B2 |
| Bulgarian | mother tongue | ||
SPECIFIC SKILLS
Expertise in monitoring of species and habitats; preparation of reports and impact assessments; working with specific field research techniques and equipment, scientific writing.
Expertise in Chiroptera, Odonata, and Habitat 8310.
Driver’s License – Category B, M., experience in offroad driving.
Computer literacy: MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, WordPress, R, Data analytics, GIS, Batsound, Kaleidoscope, etc.
Excellent communication skills. Ability to work independently and in a team.
Organizational and leadership skills; ability to effectively manage volunteers and teams.
Caving instructor (2013), Cave Rescuer (2015), rock and tree climbing, Ham radio certification.
RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE
| Date | Place | Institution | Position | Description |
| 2023 – 2024 | Bulgaria, Burgas | Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation | Researcher | Expert (Bats), project „Lagoon of life“ LIFE17 NAT/BG/000558. |
| 2023 – 2024 | Bulgaria, Trigrad | Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation | Project Coordinator | Project coordinator, Expert (Bats, Dragonflies), project „Chairite Peatland restoration”. |
| 2022 – 2023 | Bulgaria, Pomorie | Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation | Researcher | Expert (Dragonflies), project „Life for Pomorie Lagoon“ LIFE19 NAT/BG/000804 . |
| 2022 – 2023 | Bulgaria, Habitat 8310 | NMNH-BAS | Researcher | Expert (Bats), Team leader (Burgas), project “Field observation of bats according to the National Biodiversity Monitoring Scheme. “Contract № 14838. |
| 2022 – 2023 | Bulgaria,Habitat 8310 | NMNH-BAS | Researcher | Expert (Bats), project “Caves as reservoirs for emerging and re-emerging zoonoses” to the Scientific Research Fund. |
| 2021 | Bulgaria, remote | NMNH-BAS | Researcher | Researcher, Young scientists’ program |
| 2021 | Bulgaria, remote | Green Balkans NGO | Freelance author | Author of technical books (manuals). Project „Natura 2000 in Bulgaria – New horizons “ |
| 2021 | Bulgaria, Shumen | Green Balkans NGO | Expert (bats) | Bat research for the environmental assessment of a wind farm project. |
| 2021 | Bulgaria, Kardzhali | Green Balkans NGO | Expert (bats) | „Expert bats (Key expert) project “Improving the conservation status of three bat species within the territory of MIG ‘Stambolovo-Kardzhali 54,’ under position 1.” |
| 2019 | Malaysia, Sarawak | University of Costa Rica | Principal investigator | Ecological study of groundwater in the Mulu national park, Malaysia. Part of a PhD research project. |
| 2019 | Bulgaria, remote | Bulgarian Federation of Speleology | Expert (consultant) | Project „Increasing citizen participation in the processes of formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies and legislation in the speleology sector.” Duration – 4 months. |
| 2019 | Panama | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute | Intern | Intern in the Laboratory of Sensory and Cognitive Ecology under the supervision of Dr. Rachel Page. Duration – 3 months. |
| 2016-2018 | Costa Rica, Puntarenas | University of Costa Rica | Research assistant | Field research of bats project “Diversity and conservation of cave-dwelling bats in the Brunca region of Costa Rica”. |
| 2016-2015 | Costa Rica, Puntarenas | Funded by Rufford foundation | Principal investigator | Project „Protecting unique cave systems in Costa Rica, using bats as flaghip taxa”. |
| 2015 – 2014 | Bulgaria, Turkey | Green Balkans NGO | Project coordinator | Project coordinator “Joint conservation of the Strandzha region for sustainable development.” Duration – 11 months. |
| 2015-2014 | Bulgaria | Green Balkans NGO | Lector, nature guide | Presentation of an information session at the Pomorie Lake Visitor Center. Bird watching. Lectures on conservation topics. Duration – 11 months. |
| 2014 | Albania | PPNEA | Instructor | Instructor – field techniques for bat research bats. Duration – 1 month |
| 2014 – 2013 | Bulgaria | „Sinite Kamani“ Nature park | Project coordinator | Project coordinator (Biodiversity) – project “Sustainable management and structure of the Blue Stones Natural Park”. Duration – 5 months |
| 2013 | Mexico, Campeche | Operation Wallacea | Researcher (bats) | Researcher (bats), project Field study of bat diversity in the reserve “Calakmul”, Mexico. Duration – 1 month |
| 2014 – 2012 | Bulgaria | Sterna Consult | Field researcher | Project – „ Conservation activities for the preservation of the two species of terrestrial tortoises – Testudo graeca and Testudo hermanni – at the “Sinite Kamani” Nature Park. Duration – 2 years |
| 2013 – 2011 | Bulgaria | Natura Consortium, MOEW | Field researcher | Project “Mapping and determining the conservation status of natural habitats and species – Phase I”. Duration – 3 years.” |
| 2010 – 2018 | Bulgaria | NMNH-BAS | Field researcher | Monitoring of bat populations in Bulgaria following the National Biodiversity Monitoring System, Duration – 6 months. |
| 2011-2010 | Bulgaria | GeoMarin Center | Field researcher | Volunteer field researcher for studies on the species composition and distribution of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) around the projected route of the Nabucco pipeline in Bulgaria. Duration – 2 months. |
| 2010 | Bulgaria, „Tsentralen Balkan” national park | „Tsentralen Balkan” National park | Intern | Intern, Project № BG051PO001-3.3.03/0025,„Enhancing the professional qualifications of students at the Faculty of Biology”. Duration – 1 month |
| 2011-2009 | Bulgaria | Green Balkans NGO | Field researcher | Project ‘Conservation activities for target species from the EU Birds Directive – white-tailed eagle, cinereous vulture, and imperial eagle, in their main habitats in Bulgaria.’ Duration – 1 year. |
| 2008-until now | Bulgaria | NMNH-BAS | Field researcher | Summer and winter monitoring of bat populations in Bulgaria according to the scheme of the National System for Monitoring Biological Diversity. Duration – minimum 24 months. |
| 2005-until now | Bulgaria | Green Balkans NGO | Volunteer field researcher | Volunteer in different field activities – ringing migratory birds, afforestation, conservation brigades, species monitoring. Educational activities. Duration – over 10 years. |
RESEARCH GRANTS
| Year | Grant |
| 2022 | Program ‘Young Scientists and Postdoctoral Fellows’, Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria. Duration – 12 months. |
| 2019 | The Explorers Club Mammont Scholar grant. Project: “Nutrient contribution of cave bat colonies to surface ecosystems”. Amount: $1,500 |
| 2019 | Bulgarian Federation of Speleology expedition grant. Project: Expedition “Mulu 2019” Malaysia. Amount $800 |
| 2019 | Bat Conservation International Student Grant. Project: “Nutrient contribution of cave bat colonies to surface ecosystems”. Amount: $3600 |
| 2019 | Universidad de Costa Rica scholarship fund. Expenses for an internship at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. |
| 2018 | National Geographic Early Career Grant. Project: “Exploring a new ecosystem service provided by bats”. Amount: $4780. |
| 2018 | Osa Conservation Scholarship. Project: “The hidden treasures of Osa”. Amount: $1666. Continuation 2019, Amount: $2000 |
| 2017 | Idea Wild equipment grant. Project: Research, Ecology and Conservation of cave-dwelling bats in the Brunca Region of Costa Rica. Сума: $600. |
| 2015 | Rufford Small Grant. Project: Protecting unique underground systems using bats as flagship taxa. Amount: £5,000. |
TRAVEL GRANTS
2017 Attendance grant for the European Bat Research Symposium.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2017 Bulgarian Federation of Speleology, Bulgaria. Instructor – Cave survey and scientific methods for the exploration of caves.
2015 – 2014 NEPIAST Caving club, Burgas, Bulgaria, Instructor – caving exploration techniques
2014 Association for Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), “Capacity Building on Bat Conservation in Albania”, Instructor, bat research techniques.
2013 -2010 PULDIN caving club, Lecturer – biospeleology and cave protection, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2024 Dangers in the dark. The hazards of bat research and improving safety protocols. Oral presentation at the European Bat Research Symposium, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
2024 Survey of birds and bats during residential building renovations in Bulgaria Poster presentation at the European Bat Research Symposium, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
2019 Nutrient contribution of cave bat colonies to surface ecosystems, oral presentation at the International Bat Research Conference, Phuket, Thailand.
2017 Diversity and conservation of cave-dwelling bats in the Brunca region of Costa Rica, Poster presentation at the European Bat Research Symposium, Donostia, the Basque country.
2016 Protecting unique underground systems using bats as flagship taxa, Presentation at the Research Days conference, University of Costa Rica, Golfito campus.
2014 Quantative comparison of the arthropods complexes from two caves, located in different karst regions in Western Rhodopes Mountains – presentation on 3rd Balkan Scientific Conference on Biology, May 30th – June 1st, 2014, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2014 Species Diversity and Distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles in Nature Park “Sinite Kamani” in Stara Planina Mt. (Bulgaria) – presentation on Student Scientific Conference “The Ecology – A way of thinking” 6, University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv Bulgaria
2009 Data on the Environmental Conditions and Diversity of the Animal Ecological Groups in Gargina Dupka Cave – presentation on Student Scientific Conference, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
PUBLICATIONS:
Research publications
Oeser, J., Zurell, D., Mayer, F., Çoraman, E., Toshkova, N., Deleva, S., Natradze, I., Benda, P., Ghazaryan, A., Irmak, S., Hasanov, N. A., Guliyeva, G. G., Gritsina, M., & Kuemmerle, T. (2024). The best of two worlds: Using stacked generalization for integrating expert range maps in species distribution models. Biorxiv Preprint. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.12.584552
Deleva, S. (2023). Guidelines for survey and monitoring of cave-dwelling bats in Costa Rica. https://doi.org/doi.orhttps://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24718464.v3
Deleva, S., Ulloa, A., Oliveira, H., Simov, N., Didonna, F., Chaverri, G., (2023) Cave-dwelling fauna of Costa Rica: current state of knowledge and future research perspectives. Subterranean Biology (47: 29-62). https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.47.113219
Dechev, A., Deleva, S. (2023). A noteworthy locality of the javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus Linnaeus, 1758) in Southern Bulgaria. ZooNotes 224: 1-4 (2023). www.zoonotes.bio.uni-plovdiv.bg
Deleva, S. (2023). Counting bats from photographs using ImageJ. Protocols.io. https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.ewov1om9klr2/v1
Deleva, S., Toshkova, N., Kolev, M., & Tanalgo, K. (2023). Important underground roosts for bats in Bulgaria: current state and priorities for conservation. Biodiversity Data Journal, 11, e98734. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e98734
Deleva, S., & Pavlova, A. (2023). Research and Conservation of Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in the Plovdiv City Urban Area: Current State and Future Perspectives. Bulletin of the National History Museum Plovdiv, 2022, Supplement 2, 31-40.
Weigand, A., Bücs, S.-L., Deleva, S., Lukić Bilela, L., Nyssen, P., Paragamian, K., Ssymank, A., Weigand, H., Zakšek, V., Zagmajster, M., Balázs, G., Barjadze, S., Bürger, K., Burn, W., Cailhol, D., Decrolière, A., Didonna, F., Doli, A., Drazina, T., … Thies, J.-C. (2022). Current cave monitoring practices, their variation and recommendations for future improvement in Europe: A synopsis from the 6th eurospeleo protection symposium. Research Ideas and Outcomes, 8. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.8.e85859
Tanalgo, K., Tabora, J., de Oliveira, H., Haelewaters, D., Beranek, C., Otálora-Ardila, A., … Deleva, S. … Hughes, A. (2022). DarkCideS 1.0, a global database for bats in karsts and caves. Scientific Data, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01234-4
Deleva, S., & Chaverri, G. (2018). Diversity and Conservation of Cave-Dwelling Bats in the Brunca Region of Costa Rica. Diversity, 10, 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/d10020043
Ivanov, A., Deleva, S., Georgieva, M., & Orozova, D. (2017). A Conceptual Model of a Virtual Collaboration Space for Bat Scientists. In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech’17. https://doi.org/10.1145/3134302.3134308
Deleva, S., Mollov, I., Fidanova, V., & Mechev, A. (2014). Species Diversity and Distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles in Nature Park “Sinite Kamani” in Stara Planina Mt. (Bulgaria). Ecologia Balkanica, 6(2), 83-92.
Stoycheva, S., Pavlova, A., Russo, D., Deleva, S., & Atanassov, T. (2014). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Besaparski Ridove Special Protection Area (Natura 2000), Southern Bulgaria: Species List, Distribution, and Conservation. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica, Acta zool. bulg., Suppl. 5, 213-220.
Georgiev, D., Yankov, L., Stoycheva, S., Deleva, S., P. Zhelev, A. Pavlova, & M. Zagorska. (2010). New localities of Quaternary fossil Bears (Ursus sp. L.) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ursidae). ZooNotes, 8, 1-4.
Books and monographies
Deleva, S (2024) Diversity, ecology and conservation of cave-dwelling bats in Costa Rica and Bulgaria. Doctoral dissertation, Universidad de Costa Rica. April 2024.
Deleva, S. (2023). Responsible outdoor activities [in Bulgarian]. Publisher: Green Balkans. ISBN: 978-954-9433-61-6
Deleva, S. (2022). Becoming (a better) field researcher. Fieldwork manual [in Bulgarian]. Publisher: Green Balkans. ISBN 978-954-9433-37-1
Book chapters
Deleva, S. Zhelyazkova, V. Biospeleology and cave protection [in Bulgarian]. In: „Speleology manual“. (2019). Publisher: Bulgarian Federation of Speleology. https://speleo-bg.org/narachnik-po-speleologia/
Technical publications and science communication
Toshkova, N., Deleva, S., Zhelyazkova, V. (2023). Field observation of bats according to the National Biodiversity Monitoring Scheme. Technical report (in Bulgarian).
Deleva, S. Summer bat colonies. (2020). Bulgarian Federation of Speleology. https://speleo-bg.org/letnite-prilepni-kolonii/
Deleva, S., Chaverri, G. (2018). Caves in the Brunca region of conservation priority as important bat roosts. Technical report (in English and Spanish).
Deleva, S. (2016). Brunca Bats Project. Available at: https://bruncabats.info