Date and place of birth: Sofia (Bulgaria), 24 May 1977

Education:

• M.Sc. in Zoology of Invertebrates: 2001, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Master thesis: "Faunistical, zoogeographical and ecological investigations on land snails (Gastropoda terrestria) in Zemen gorge (SW Bulgaria)"
• Doctor in Ecology and Environmental Protection: 2007, CLOE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Employment:

• Biologist - CLOE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2002-2003
• PhD student - CLOE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2003-2006; PhD-thesis: ``Investigations on the populations of the ground myrmecofauna in Sofia City''
• Research Fellow - CLOE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2007-till present

Research Interests:

• Taxonomy, ecology and biodiversity of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
• Behavioural ecology of the social interactions among ant species
• Urban ecology

Recent Projects:

• Effect of ski-runs in the Pirin National Park on the biodiversity of model groups of organisms (2008-2010); Research project, supported by National Science Fund, Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria
• Assessment of the influence of the fragmentation and isolation on bioresources in urban environment (2006-2009); Research project, supported by National Science Fund, Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria

List of publications:

• Lapeva-Gjonova, A., Antonova, V., Radchenko, R., Atanasova, M. 2010. Catalogue of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Bulgaria. – ZooKeys, 62 (Special Issue): 1-124. (Monograph)

http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/430/676

• Antonova, V. 2009. First record of the social parasitic slave-maker ant Harpagoxenus sublaevis (NYLANDER, 1849) for Bulgaria (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). - Myrmecologische Nachrichten, 12: 1-2.
• Penev, L., Stoyanov, I., Dedov, I and V. Antonova, 2008. Patterns of Urbanization in the City of Sofia as Shown by Carabid Beetles, Ants and Mollusks. – In: Penev L., T. Erwin, T. Assmann (Eds.) Back to the Roots and Back to the Future. Towards a New Synthesis amongst taxonomic, Ecological and Biogeographical approaches in Carabidology. Proceedings of the XIII European Carabidologists Meeting, Blagoevgrad, August 20-24, 2007, pp. 483-509.
• Antonova, V., Penev, L., 2008. Classification of assemblages of ants in the green areas in Sofia City. – Acta Zoologica Bulgarica, 60, Suppl. 2: 103-110.
• Antonova, V., Penev, L., 2006. Change in the zoogeographical structure of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) caused by urban pressure in the Sofia region (Bulgaria). - Myrmecologische Nachrichten, 8: 271-276.
• Radchenko, A., Czechowska, W., Czechowski W., Antonova, V., Stankiewicz, A., 2005. Myrmica lacustris Ruzsky (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an ant species new for Poland. - Fragmenta Faunistica, 48 (2): 167-174.
• Antonova, V., 2005. Species diversity and distribution of ants in different habitats in the parks of the city of Sofia. – In: Chipev, N., Bogoev, V. (Eds.): Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Global changes, I-st National Scientific Conference in Ecology, Petekston Press, Sofia, pp. 231-236.
• Borisova, N., Antonova, V., Delov, V., Dimitrov, D., 2005. Using GIS and remote sensing in biogeography assessment in the karst terrain of Chepan Mountain and Dragoman marshland (W Bulgaria). – In: Chipev, N., Bogoev, V. (Eds.): Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Global changes, I-st National Scientific Conference in Ecology, Petekston Press, Sofia, pp. 75-82.
• Stankiewicz, A., Antonova, V. 2005. Myrmica vandeli Bondroit(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - a new ant species for Bulgaria. - Acta Zoologica Bulgarica, 57 (1): 123-126.
• Steiner, F.M., B.C. Schlick-Steiner, M. Sanetra, T. Ljubomirov, V. Antonova, E. Christian, C. Stauffer, 2005. An update of the ant fauna of Bulgaria: Tetramorium moravicum Kratochvil, 1941 and T. hungaricum Röszler, 1935 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae). - Ann. Zool. Fennici, 42: 23-35.
• Antonova, V., 2004. Compound nests and mixed colonies of ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Sofia - Bulgaria. In: Penev, L., Niemela, J., Kotze, J. and Chipev, N. (Eds.): Ecology of the City of Sofia. Species and Communities in Urban Environment, PENSOFT Publishers, Sofia-Moscow, pp. 423-428.
• Radchenko, A., Antonova, V. 2004. First record of Myrmica rugulososcabrinodis Karawajew (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) for Bulgaria. - Myrmecologische Nachrichten, 6 (6): 19-21.
• Czechowska, W., Antonova V., Czechowski W. 2004. Further record of Formica glauca Ruzsky, 1895 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for Poland. - Fragmenta Faunistica*, 47 (1): 51-53.
• Antonova, V., Dedov, I., 2002. Land snails (Gastropoda, Pulmonata)in Zemen Gorge. - Historia naturalis bulgarica, 14: 79-87 (in Bulgarian).
• Antonova, V., Dedov, I., 2001. Land snails (Gastropoda, Pulmonata)in Kresna Gorge. In: P. Beron (Ed.): Biodiversity of Kresna Gorge,Sofia, pp. 39-43 (in Bulgarian).