Sylvia Ilieva is a professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics and Director of GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She is among the Top 100 most influential IT personalities in Bulgaria for 2024, according to the annual Career Show index. In 2023, she received the Special Contribution to ICT Award for establishing GATE as the first Centre of Excellence in Big Data and AI in Eastern Europe. Sylvia Ilieva is also an IDSA Ambassador in recognition of her significant contributions to the development of IDS-based data spaces. She has led over 30 European projects, authored 100+ scientific publications, and pioneered software engineering education in Bulgaria.