Veselina Valkanova
PROF. DR. VESELINA VALKANOVA is Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," media researcher, and expert.
Prof. Veselina Valkanova has been working for 35 years, after winning a competition, as a lecturer on a permanent contract at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", FJMC - successively as a regular assistant, senior assistant, chief assistant, associate professor, and professor.
Prof. Veselina Valkanova has served two terms as deputy dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication for research and doctoral programs, chair of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," three terms as head of department at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, two terms as chair of the General Assembly of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University, and long-time chair of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University. Ohridski", three terms as head of department at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, two terms as chair of the General Assembly of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University, long-time chair of the Editorial Board of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, and editor-in-chief of the Yearbook of Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski" The list of Prof.
Valkanova's scientific works includes: 5 author monographs; more than 100 studies and articles in scientific collections and specialized scientific publications; numerous participations in international and national projects, conferences, and seminars; scientific editing, authorship of reviews and prefaces to books, etc. scientific editing, authorship of reviews and prefaces to books, etc. Her scientific publications – monographs, articles, studies, and research – have more than 500 citations in the Bulgarian and international scientific community and are included in the citation indexes of authoritative databases.
Areas of scientific interest: media and communications, visual communication, online communication, digital media, press journalism. The topics in Prof. Veselina Valkanova's scientific research and in the curricula of her lecture courses include the main fields of theory, diachronic development and culture of media, visual communication, as well as its environment: issues related to the transformations of media in the digital environment, quality journalism and the digital shift, and the specific patterns of visual representation in online and traditional media are covered.
Prof. Veselina Valkanova teaches students in bachelor's and master's degree programs and in doctoral programs: in 6 bachelor's programs, 14 master's programs, and a number of scientific specialties in the doctoral program "Media and Communications." She is the founder of the master's program "Press and Media," the founder and director of the master's program "Media Design," and the joint master's program with Veliko Tarnovo University "Digital Communications and Media" under the project "Innovative Education in Humanities and Social Sciences through Digital Transformation and Modernization of Curricula" under the Operational Program "Science and Education for Smart Growth" 2014–2020, on the first master's program of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication in English, "Digital Media and Communication."
Prof. Veselina Valkova has established a school in her field of expertise, is a scientific supervisor to many master's and doctoral students, and nine of her doctoral students have successfully defended their dissertations.
She is a member of prestigious scientific and professional organizations, including ECREA – European Communication Research and Education Association, EJTA – European Journalism Training Association, EUPRERA – European Public Relations Education and Research Association, Gutenberg Gesellschaft, a member of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, and a member of the Association of German-speaking Journalists. She is a member of the General Assembly of Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski" and of the Academic Council of Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski".
Prof. Dr. Veselina Valkanova has participated in dozens of national and international scientific projects and conferences. She is leading project KP-06-N75/6 of 7 December 2023 on "Research on the media environment in Bulgaria – meta-analysis, methodology and approaches in studies of the impact of media transformations on social processes", which was awarded in the competition of the National Science Fund for the financing of fundamental scientific research, under which the Center for Media Studies at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of Sofia University was established - https://www.mediasurveycenter.com/. Representative sociological studies were conducted as part of the project: "The journalism profession: journalistic skills, competencies, values, and roles - an empirical study" and "Processes of implementation, influence, and adaptation of generative artificial intelligence in the media."
Prof. Valkanova leads the international project CERV-2023-CITIZENS-CIV-01148165 Media Masters: Enhancing Media Literacy, funded by the European Commission, for Bulgaria. She is a member of the team of the project "Transformation and Convergent Models of Journalism in the Process of Digitalization, in the Conditions of a Digital Society and in a Digital Communication Context: Dispositive Analysis" in the 2022 competition for funding for fundamental scientific research and the successfully completed project "Model of an effective visual-communicative and media environment for the formation and education of new audiences in the field of arts and cultural and creative industries through shared spaces" from the same competition. He is the leader of the successfully completed project in the 2022 Bulgarian Scientific Periodicals competition. He is the Bulgarian coordinator of an international project coordinated by Technische Universität Dortmund for 2023-2024 on the topic: "Covering Cohesion Policy in Europe – Training MOOC for European Journalism Students", with funding from: Operational Program "Science and Education for Smart Growth" 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Union through the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Prof. Veselina Valkanova is a member of international editorial boards of scientific journals abroad and in Bulgaria: the editorial board of Annals of Journalism and Mass Communication – an international journal (Delaware, USA) dedicated to publishing the latest research in the field of journalism and mass communication. Chair of the Editorial Board of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Member of the international editorial board of Newmedia21.eu. Media of the 21st Century. An online publication for research, analysis, and criticism. Member of the international editorial board of the scientific journal "Problems of Postmodernity," indexed in the European reference system for indexing scientific journals ERIC PLUS, DOAJ, CEEOL, EBSCO, etc. Member of the international editorial board of the scientific journal "Media and Public Communications" and others.
Head of the project "Research on the media environment in Bulgaria – meta-analysis, Methodology and Approaches in Studies of the Impact of Media Transformations on Social Processes," funded by the Scientific Research Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria (contract No. KP-06-N75/6 of 07.12.2023).
Member of the Academic Council of Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski" from 2015 to present.
At a general meeting held on October 10, 2019, Prof. Dr. Veselina Valkanova was elected Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication on the first ballot and by a significant majority for the 2019-2023 term.
At a general meeting held on October 24, 2023, Prof. Dr. Veselina Valkanova was re-elected Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication on the first ballot and with a significant majority for the 2023-2027 term.
For her outstanding academic achievements in 2012, Prof. Dr. Veselina Valkanova was awarded the St. Kliment Ohridski Honorary Badge, First Class.