Prof. Stefka Dimova was one of the pioneers of computational mathematics in Bulgaria. She was a visiting professor or researcher in leading scientific centers in Europe and USA as well as an invited speaker in prestigious international forums in Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Germany, France, and USA. She was an author of more than 70 papers in the field of computational mathematics.
Prof. Stefka Dimova had the leading role for including Sofia University and the Bulgarian mathematical society in the activities, related to ECMI. She was the Bulgarian representative in the ECMI Educational Committee and after that in the ECMI Council. Thanks mainly to her efforts, Sofia University was accredited as an ECMI Teaching center. She was the initiator and main organizer of the first ESGIs, held in Bulgaria, starting in 2013, the Preparatory Modelling Week (Sofia, 2015), which preceeded the ECMI Modelling Week (Sofia, 2016), the International Conferences “Numerical Methods & Applications”, held in Borovets in 2006 and 2018, and many others.
A lot can be said for Prof. Stefka Dimova, but maybe the most important thing is that she was a true teacher for her students. She had qualities that are so rare these days — she was a person, who did not look after her own, neither did she look for her fame and recognition. She sincerely wanted to serve and to teach the young people she worked with. She didn’t stay in what was comfortable and established and didn’t fear the new and unknown, but examined what was good and useful as an innovation. She left a bright example for all of her students to follow and to continue her work.
May God give peace to her soul!
