Dimitar Sasselov is the first Bulgarian scientist to be elected as an IRE member, and the first to hold two positions (both as Director of the Space Research Institute) in the world's top scientific institutions. Dimitar was born in Sofia. He received his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, and taught at the University of Washington, Stanford, MIT and Princeton before joining his alma mater as a professor of physics in 1986. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA; Royal Academy of Science and Letters, Belgium; US National Academy of Engineering; etc
He has received numerous awards for his scientific achievements. Dr. Sasselov is currently Director General of Bulgaria's National Astrophysics Institute (NAI).
The question we ask is - if there is life on other planets, should we expect it to be based on the same molecules, i.e. be universal - or should we expect it to depend on the local conditions, i.e. on the planet's geochemistry. So to find out, we try experiments on biomolecules, starting with such geochemistry conditions.Dimitar Sasselov
We love our planet Earth. We should - it is our home, and there's no place like home. There can't ever be a better place than Earth.Dimitar Sasselov
