Experience
| 2019–2026 | Research Associate Cleanroom work and project management German and EU-funded projects, e.g. FreeHydroCells Sensor Technology and Energy Converters AMO GmbH, Aachen, Germany |
| 2018–2019 | Research Assistant Optics/Laser lab work and data analysis Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research Stuttgart, Germany |
| 2014–2016 | Technician (Holography lab) Institute for Optical Materials and Technologies Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Sofia, Bulgaria |
Education
| 2019–2026 | Doctoral Candidate (Dr. rer. nat.) Chair of Electronic Devices RWTH Aachen University, Germany |
| 2016–2019 | Master of Science in Solid State Physics Max Planck IMPRS-CMS Scholarship University of Stuttgart, Germany |
| 2015–2016 | Exchange semester Erasmus scholarship University of Bonn, Germany |
| 2012–2016 | Bachelor of Science in Laser Physics Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria |
Specialist skills
| Cleanroom | Chemical processing, lithography, etching, thin film deposition (PVD, ALD) |
| Inspection | Optical microscopy, SEM, SPM (AFM, KPFM, SNOM) |
| Spectroscopy | UV-Vis-IR spectrophotometry, Raman, FTIR |
| Experimental | Construction of laser/optics/electronics setups |
| Data | OriginPro, Gwyddion, FDTD sims, LabView |
| Literature | Zotero, Joplin, Obsidian, MS/LibreOffice, LaTeX |
| Graphics | Adobe Photoshop, PowerPoint, Blender, SolidEdge |
| Web | HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Wordpress & other CMS Hosting/Server management through cPanel and YunoHost (Debian/Linux-based) |
| Hobbies | Piano, dancing (ballroom and Irish), baking, reading and writing fiction, fountain pens/calligraphy… |
Languages
English – Fluent
Spanish – Fluent
German – Intermediate
French – Conversational
Bulgarian – Native
Digital
I am passionate about web design, self-hosting, free/open source software, decentralized networks, and online privacy. I am not on LinkedIn.
Selected publication list
- Daskalova, D.; “Engineered Surfaces to Enhance Light-Matter Interactions at the Liquid Interface”. Doctoral dissertation, 2026 (RWTH University, Aachen, Germany). First submitted March 2026, to be published later in 2026.
- On journal cover: Daskalova, D.; Özyurt, M.; Lerch, H.; Plachetka, U.; Lemme, M. C. “Periodic and Statistically Distributed Surface Texturing of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Sensors with Spatially Selective Signal Mapping”. Advanced Physics Research 5, no.3, 2026: e00124. doi: 10.1002/apxr.202500124.
- On journal cover: Daskalova, D.; Aguila Flores, G.; Plachetka, U.; Möller, M.; Wolters, J.; Wintgens, T.; Lemme, M. C. “Combined Structural and Plasmonic Enhancement of Nanometer-Thin Film Photocatalysis for Solar-Driven Wastewater Treatment”. ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2023, 6 (16), 15204–15212. doi: 10.1021/acsanm.3c02867.
- Daskalova, D.; Shabestari, P.; Chu, H.; Krautloher, M.; Bertinshaw, J.; Keimer, B.; Kaiser, S. “Near-field optical probes of the current- and temperature-driven insulator-to-metal transition in the Mott insulator Ca2RuO4”. Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG) Conference, Regensburg, April 2019.
- Berberova, N.; Daskalova, D.; Strijkova, V.; Kostadinova, D.; Nazarova, D.; Nedelchev, L.; Stoykova, E.; Marinova, V.; Chi, C. H.; Lin, S. H. “Polarization Holographic Recording in Thin Films of Pure Azopolymer and Azopolymer Based Hybrid Materials”. Optical Materials 2017, 64, 212-216. doi: 10.1016/j.optmat.2016.12.002.
- Two digitally published literary works (a fantasy novel and a poetry book) in Bulgarian, 2016-2018.