MARIA YURUKOVA
Mariya Yurukova was born in 1990 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
She graduated from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry French Language High School. She holds a Bachelor's degree in European Studies from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (2013) and a Master's degree in European Projects from the same university (2015). In 2014, she studied Political Science at the University of Liège, Belgium, as part of the Erasmus Programme.
She holds a PhD in Political Science from the doctoral programme “European Studies – EU Media Policy and Law.” Her doctoral dissertation was entitled “Online Disinformation: Countering Strategies in the European Union.” Since 2020, she has been a lecturer in the Department of European Studies at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, and since 2023 she has held the position of Chief Assistant Professor.
Since 2011, she has worked as an expert and project manager for European and international projects in the non-governmental sector and has extensive experience in various volunteer initiatives. Since 2013, she has also worked as a researcher, coordinator and project leader of scientific projects in the fields of European studies, media studies, and countering disinformation. She is the author of monographs, academic studies, and articles published in scholarly journals, as well as papers presented at conferences and seminars in Bulgaria and abroad. She has also edited and compiled numerous national and international academic volumes and publications.
In 2015, she joined the Administration of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria as an expert in the Strategic Policies, Analyses and Forecasts Unit. Since 2017, she has served as Head of the same unit.
By Presidential Decree No. 104 of March 30 2022, she was appointed Adviser to the President on Domestic Policy and Civil Society. By Presidential Decree No. 123 of March 19 2026, she was appointed Adviser to the President for Civil Society Relations.
By Presidential Decree No. 204 of June 11 2026, she was appointed Secretary for Domestic Policy and Civil Society to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria.
She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.
