Dessislava Petrova-Antonova is the Research Leader of Data Management Research Unit of GATE Institute. Her research area includes Data management with a focus on semantic data interoperability and enrichment. She is leading the City Digital Twin pilot project, where an advanced 3D City Model of Sofia is under development to facilitate analysis, simulation and visualisation of urban environment and processes.
Dessislava Petrova-Antonova obtained an engineering degree in Computer systems and technologies (2000) and Ph.D. in System programming (2007) from the Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria. She joined the department of Software technologies at Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” as an assistant professor in 2008, and there she became an associate professor in 2012. Dessislava Petrova-Antonova is presently head of MSc program “Technology entrepreneurship and innovations in IT”. She has co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed academic publications. She has successfully participated in a number of European and national RTD projects (more than 30) and currently coordinates two of them – “Big Data Innovative Solutions for Smart Cities” (Big4Smart) and “Digital twin modelling of patients with cognitive disorders” (CogniTwin), funded by the Bulgarian National Scientific Fund.
The aim of CogniTwin project is to create a digital twin model for exploration of behavioural changes in patients with proven cognitive disorders by applying big data and Artificial Intelligence methods. Such model identifies the causes and trends that lead to a deepening of the long-term cognitive decline. The results will be used to assess cognitive status in a timely manner and suggest appropriate preventive actions of cognitive disorders.
