Nikolai Denkov

In this Bulgarian name, the patronymic is Denkov and the family name is Denkov.

Nikolai Denkov
Николай Денков
Prime Minister of Bulgaria
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 June 2023
President	Rumen Radev
Deputy	Mariya Gabriel
Preceded by	Galab Donev (acting)
Minister of Education and Science
In office 12 May 2021 – 2 August 2022
Prime Minister	Stefan Yanev Kiril Petkov
Preceded by	Krasimir Valchev
Succeeded by	Sasho Penov
In office 27 January 2017 – 4 May 2017
Prime Minister	Ognyan Gerdzhikov
Preceded by	Todor Tanev
Succeeded by	Krasimir Valchev
Deputy Minister of Education and Science
In office August 2014 – April 2016
Prime Minister	Boyko Borisov
Personal details
Born	Nikolai Denkov Denkov (1962-09-03) 3 September 1962 Stara Zagora, People's Republic of Bulgaria
Political party	PP
Occupation	politician

Nikolai Denkov Denkov (Bulgarian: Николай Денков Денков, born 3 September 1962) is a Bulgarian politician serving as the Prime Minister of Bulgaria since 6 June 2023. He was previously the Minister of Education of the Republic of Bulgaria. Denkov is a physicist, physical chemist and chemist. He is a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and a lecturer at the University of Sofia.

Life

Nikolai Denkov was born on 3 September 1962, in the Thracian city of Stara Zagora. After elementary school, he moved to the Bulgarian capital Sofia, where he graduated from the National Gymnasium for Science and Mathematics in 1980. This was followed by a master's degree in chemistry and pharmacy at the St. Kliment-Ohridski University in Sofia, which he completed in 1987. In 1993 he defended his dissertation and obtained his doctorate. Denkov has been an adjunct lecturer since 1997 and professor of physical chemistry at the University of Sofia since 2008. Between 2008 and 2015 he was head of the faculty for technical chemistry and director of the master's courseDisperse Systems in Chemical Technologies at the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University. He has been a doctor of chemistry since 2007. He specialized in Japan and at Uppsala University in Sweden and worked as a senior scientist in the research institutes of private companies such as Unilever (USA) and Rhône-Poulenc (France).

Between 2012 and 2013, Denkov was a member of various working groups in the Ministry of Education and Science and in the Council of Ministers. He actively participated in the development of the concept of the Operational Program Science and Education for Smart Growth and in the discussions for the Partnership Agreement for 2013-2020 between the Republic of Bulgaria and the European Commission.

From August 2014 to April 2016, Denkov was Deputy Minister of Education and Science in the Borisov II government, responsible for higher education and the European Structural Funds, including the implementation of the Operational Program Science and Education for Smart Growth. From 27 January 2017, to 4 May 2017, he was Interim Minister for Education and Science in Gerdzhikov's interim government.

In 2019, Denkov was awarded the Solvay Prize of the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS) for his research achievements and he was elected a full member of the Academia Europaea. In 2010 he was awarded the highest national award "Pythagoras" for scientific achievements by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science. In 2013 he received the Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon from the University of Sofia.

Between 12 May 2021, and 13 December 2021, he was again interim minister for education and science in the acting governments of Yanev I and Yanev II during the COVID-19 pandemic. When after the general election in November 2021 that We Continue the Change (PP) had the largest congressional faction was and could form a coalition capable of governing, Denkov became the education minister in the Cabinet of Kiril Petkov selected.