SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE

• Anatomical analysis of plant structure and development (cambial activity and wood formation; cambium, wood and bark anatomy; wood structure in relation to permeability to gas and liquid, three-dimensional visualization of plant cell and tissue structure by confocal microscopy and resin-casting with SEM, structure and morphogenesis of plantspropagated in vitro and from cuttings through rooting or grafting).
• Microscopy (conventional light microscopy, fluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), image acquisition and analysis).

POSITIONS (PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE)

June 1, 2007 – Present: Department of Wood Science and Engineering
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR 97331, USA.
Visiting scientist

June 1, 2007 – Present: Laboratory for wood biology and xylarium, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvense steenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium.
Researcher

April 2004 – May 31 2007: Institute of Wood Technology, Akita Prefectural University Akita-ken, Noshiro-shi, 016-0876, Japan (http://iwt.akita-pu.ac.jp)
Researcher

Nov 1, 2003 – March 31: Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1-1 Ohwashi, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki, 305-8686, Japan (http://ss.jircas.affrc.go.jp)
Researcher, Forestry Division

Nov 1, 2001 – Nov 1, 2003: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki, Japan (http://ss.ffpri.affrc.go.jp)
Post-doctoral researcher, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

1995 - 2001: Laboratory of Wood Biology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, http://www.agr.hokudai.ac.jp/woosci/woobio/index.html
Research assistant, Ph.D. student, Monbusho (Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture) Fellowship.  

1994 - 1995: Department of Dendrology, University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria, http://www.ltu.bg/Pages/Main_file_ENG.html
Senior Assistant Professor of botany.

1990 - 1994: Department of Dendrology, University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria, Assistant Professor of botany.

AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

• Marie Curie Outgoing International Fellowship, European Commission (2007 – 2010).
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship (2001 – 2003)
• Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University Fellowship (2000)
• Monbusho (Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture) Fellowship (1995 – 1999)
• Visiting researcher Grant, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium (July - Sept 1993, July - Sept 1994)
• Doctoral Fellowship, Bulgarian Ministry of Education (1987 – 1991)