Iglika Trifonova

What’s the work that you do?

I am the founding chair of APECS Bulgaria and the Communications Manager at the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute. My mission is to ensure that the activities carried out by our scientists in Antarctica have a great social impact and appear in the media. As a result of my work, more than ten books about Antarctic and polar explorers were published recently in Bulgaria. I am co-author of Antarctic Cuisine – a unique bilingual book that brings together the culinary history of the first Antarctic expeditions and the experience of 36 chefs from 29 countries around the world with more than 60 recipes and professional secrets for preparing dishes in Antarctica. As a scientist, I promote the significance of Human Sciences. I study people in Antarctica and how they create communities there. As an educator, I give lectures and seminars and participate together with other early-career scientists in different local outreach events: APECS Polar Week, European Researchers’ Night, Sofia Science Festival, talks in schools, exhibitions etc.

What keeps you going?

I am excited about my work. It allows me to be with the scientists who do their research in Antarctica and transmit their results to the society. I like to show the importance of their research and the difficulties they passed to do it. I am especially passionate about doing outreach in schools, because it’s so interesting to be a polar scientist and I like when students understand it. Sometimes it changes their future and they decide to become researchers as well.

What’s your message to the world?

Dream! All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them! Fifteen years ago, I went to Antarctica for the first time as a photographer in a Bulgarian Antarctic expedition and that experience changed my life. I was so impressed by the spirit of collaboration between nations and people’s solidarity which I saw in Antarctica that I started to dream to come back there as a scientist. Finally in 2020, I started my own sociological project. I study people in Antarctica because the Icy Continent is very important for the future of humanity. I would like to extend the principles of respect and mutual support that we live in Antarctica to the entire planet. I firmly believe that this is the only way if we want to save this planet and ourselves with it.