MAKE TAUTOMERISM GREAT AGAIN IN APPLICABILITY
Prof. Liudmil Antonov is Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute of Electronics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Director of the University Centre on Tautomeric Research and Education in Science and Technology (UCTREST), established as a European Research Area Chair at the University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He obtained his MSc in Organic and Analytical Chemistry in 1989 and his PhD in Applied Spectroscopy in 1994, followed by a DrSci in Analytical Chemistry in 2006.
After several academic positions at the National Forestry University in Sofia, he joined the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 2007, where he became Full Professor in 2013. His international research experience includes extended stays at Tokyo Institute of Technology, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, and the University of Rostock. In 2021, Prof. Antonov received the Grand National Pythagoras Prize, Bulgaria’s most prestigious scientific award.
His research focuses on molecular spectroscopy, chemometrics, quantum chemistry and, in particular, tautomerism – the dynamic interconversion between molecular forms through proton transfer. He combines experimental spectroscopy and advanced data analysis with theoretical modelling to investigate tautomeric equilibria and improve their quantitative prediction, including through the development of reliable experimental data for benchmarking computational methods.
A further focus is excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), which underpins applications ranging from fluorescent sensors and imaging agents to light-driven molecular switches. His recent work on highly efficient proton-transfer-based molecular switches opens perspectives for molecular motors, logic gates and other functional molecular systems. He also explores tautomer-based drug design, investigating how control of molecular forms can support the development of new bioactive compounds, including potential multi-target agents against neurodegenerative diseases.
He aims to connect fundamental research on proton transfer and molecular equilibria with applications in materials science, sensing and medicine.
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