Prof. Bonni Petrunova, PhD

Associate Professor Doctor, Director of NIM, former Deputy. Minister of Culture, former deputy director of the National Archaeological Institute with a Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, for eight years he was the head of the Medieval Archeology Section at NAIM-BANS. Honorary lecturer at Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski", at Shumen University "Bishop Konstantin Preslavski", at New Bulgarian University with lecture courses on "Ottoman Culture", "Bulgarian Culture of the Late Middle Ages". He is the supervisor of bachelor's, master's and doctoral theses at NBU and SU "St. Kliment Ohridski".

Associate Professor Petrunova is the head of more than 60 archaeological expeditions - field surveys and excavations, as well as various projects related to archaeological surveys, tourism, promotion and preservation of the Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage, financed and implemented with the support of Bulgarian and foreign institutions and organizations such as the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Regional Development, the Max van Bershem Foundation, Vienna, various Bulgarian municipalities (Ivaylovgrad, Peshtera, Kavarna, Tsarevo, Blagoevgrad, Stolichna Municipality, etc.). Participant in over 100 scientific conferences, symposia and seminars.

Prof. Petrunova's interests are focused on the history of the period of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, fortress construction, funeral rites and cult practices from the late Middle Ages. In connection with this, it has implemented projects for the study and preservation of monuments from this period, among which are: the fortresses, Kaliakra, Lyuitsa, Urvich, Tsepina, Hotalich, Peristera. She is the author of over 200 books, articles, monographs, popular science publications.