Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
University · Varna · Bulgaria

Varna Free University

In research, Varna Free University stands highest in Social Sciences (#7,135 of 9,585 worldwide), 2022-now.

vfu.bgROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#13,245
of 22,385 · #20,299 all time
Rank in Bulgaria
#30
of 64
Research works
346
▲ 44% vs 2018-21
Citations
1.2k
3.5 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
5.5%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.93×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
70%
world 40%
International
16%
world 18%
Varna Free University

What is Varna Free University known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Social SciencesDomain #7,135 of 9,585 5.1%70 #9670

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Varna Free University sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Varna Free University work in?

In 2022-now, 56% of research at Varna Free University is in Social Sciences, 33% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (29%), Computer Science (17%), Psychology (8%). It does 2.2× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 89 fractional works · 55.7% of its workSocial Sciences: 46 fractional works · 28.9% of its workSociology and Political Science: 11 fractional works · 6.9% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 10 fractional works · 6.1% of its workEducation: 8 fractional works · 5.2% of its workLaw: 3 fractional works · 2.1% of its workUrban Studies: 3 fractional works · 1.7% of its workTransportation: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workGender Studies: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workCommunication: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSafety Research: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workAnthropology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workCultural Studies: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDevelopment: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDemography: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLife-span and Life-course Studies: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychology: 14 fractional works · 8.5% of its workClinical Psychology: 5 fractional works · 3.0% of its workSocial Psychology: 4 fractional works · 2.5% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workApplied Psychology: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 13 fractional works · 8.2% of its workStrategy and Management: 4 fractional works · 2.7% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 3 fractional works · 1.7% of its workAccounting: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workBusiness and International Management: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workManagement Information Systems: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMarketing: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 10 fractional works · 6.5% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 9 fractional works · 5.4% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workFinance: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 4 fractional works · 2.2% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workConservation: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPhilosophy: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDecision Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhysical Sciences: 53 fractional works · 32.8% of its workComputer Science: 27 fractional works · 17.0% of its workInformation Systems: 11 fractional works · 6.9% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 7 fractional works · 4.3% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workComputer Science Applications: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSoftware: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSignal Processing: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEngineering: 12 fractional works · 7.5% of its workBuilding and Construction: 2 fractional works · 1.4% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAerospace Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workOcean Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMechanics of Materials: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Science: 7 fractional works · 4.3% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 4 fractional works · 2.4% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEcology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workOceanography: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMaterials Science: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workGeneral Materials Science: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workModeling and Simulation: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workChemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 11 fractional works · 7.1% of its workMedicine: 8 fractional works · 5.0% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEpidemiology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSurgery: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Informatics: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workFamily Practice: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workInternal Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workHealth Professions: 3 fractional works · 2.0% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 2 fractional works · 1.4% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacy: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workDentistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 7 fractional works · 4.4% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 4 fractional works · 2.3% of its workFood Science: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSoil Science: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workNeurology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workMolecular Biology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workBiophysics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKVarna FreeUniversity160fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences4%Physical Sciences33%Health Sciences7%Social Sciences56%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 22 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences4628.9%
    2. Psychology148.5%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting138.2%
    4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance106.5%
    5. Arts and Humanities42.2%
    6. Decision Sciences21.5%
    1. Computer Science2717.0%
    2. Engineering127.5%
    3. Environmental Science74.3%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences21.5%
    5. Materials Science10.9%
    6. Mathematics10.7%
    7. Physics and Astronomy10.5%
    8. Chemistry00.3%
    9. Energy00.1%
    1. Medicine85.0%
    2. Health Professions32.0%
    3. Dentistry00.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences42.3%
    2. Neuroscience21.1%
    3. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.9%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology00.1%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.48× its world share, 4 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.17× its world share, 2 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.10× its world share, 0 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.67× its world share, 2 worksNeuroscienceChemistry: 0.20× its world share, 0 worksChemistryComputer Science: 2.18× its world share, 27 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.96× its world share, 2 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.11× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.50× its world share, 12 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.86× its world share, 7 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.26× its world share, 1 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.62× its world share, 1 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.22× its world share, 1 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.14× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.77× its world share, 3 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.26× its world share, 8 worksMedicineArts and Humanities: 0.76× its world share, 4 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 2.55× its world share, 13 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.54× its world share, 2 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 3.02× its world share, 10 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 2.79× its world share, 14 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.28× its world share, 46 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Economics, Econometrics and Finance, 3.0×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 22 fields, with their numbers
  1. Economics, Econometrics and Finance3.02×10 works
  2. Psychology2.79×14 works
  3. Business, Management and Accounting2.55×13 works
  4. Social Sciences2.28×46 works
  5. Computer Science2.18×27 works
  6. Decision Sciences1.54×2 works
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.96×2 works
  8. Environmental Science0.86×7 works
  9. Health Professions0.77×3 works
  10. Arts and Humanities0.76×4 works
  11. Neuroscience0.67×2 works
  12. Mathematics0.62×1 works
  13. Engineering0.50×12 works
  14. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.48×4 works
  15. Materials Science0.26×1 works
  16. Medicine0.26×8 works
  17. Physics and Astronomy0.22×1 works
  18. Chemistry0.20×0 works
  19. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.17×2 works
  20. Dentistry0.14×0 works
  21. Energy0.11×0 works
  22. Immunology and Microbiology0.10×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Varna Free University?

Ranked on the quality score, Aleksandar D. Slaev, Teodora Bakardjieva and Atanas Kovachev lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Varna Free University.

  1. 1 Aleksandar D. Slaev Bulgaria · #1,084,491 worldwide 475 citations · 45 works
  2. 2 Teodora Bakardjieva Bulgaria · #3,842,320 worldwide 19 citations · 15 works
  3. 3 Atanas Kovachev Bulgaria · #3,980,634 worldwide 71 citations · 23 works
  4. 4 Rub Jacob Bulgaria · #4,548,465 worldwide 4 citations · 17 works
  5. 5 Zdravko Dimitrov Slavov Bulgaria · #4,645,603 worldwide 14 citations · 28 works
  6. 6 Mariya Petrova Bulgaria · #4,806,077 worldwide 15 citations · 17 works
  7. 7 Галина Момчева Bulgaria · #5,377,836 worldwide 46 citations · 28 works
All ranked researchers at Varna Free University

What are the most cited papers from Varna Free University?

The most cited paper from Varna Free University is "Trophic cascades triggered by overfishing reveal possible mechanisms of ecosystem regime shifts" (Georgi M. Daskalov, А. Н. Гришин, Sergei N. Rodionov et al., 2007), with 648 citations. Next come "Transitioning to resilience and sustainability in urban communities" (256) and "Artificial intelligence in nursing education: A scoping review" (114).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Trophic cascades triggered by overfishing reveal possible mechanisms of ecosystem regime shifts Georgi M. Daskalov, А. Н. Гришин, Sergei N. Rodionov et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open access 4 Jun 2007 648
2 Transitioning to resilience and sustainability in urban communities Marcus John Collier, Zorica Nedović‐Budić, Jeroen Aerts et al. · Cities Open access 23 Apr 2013 256
3 Artificial intelligence in nursing education: A scoping review Igal Lifshits, Dennis Rosenberg · Nurse Education in Practice Oct 2024 114
4 Hotel Revenue Management – A Critical Literature Review Stanislav Hristov Ivanov, Владимир Сашов Жечев · SSRN Electronic Journal PreprintOpen access 2012 106
5 Suburbanization and sprawl in post-socialist Belgrade and Sofia Aleksandar D. Slaev, Zorica Nedović‐Budić, Nikola Krunić et al. · European Planning Studies Open access 19 Apr 2018 65
All 61 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Varna Free University?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Sustainable Development, Innovation, Human Rights, Economic Growth, Environmental Management, Education, Globalization and Educational Technology.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Sustainable Development12▲ 4.9×20 topics
  2. Innovation8▲ 4.9×20 topics
  3. Globalization8▲ 2.4×17 topics
  4. Human Rights7▲ 4.5×12 topics
  5. Machine Learning7▲ 1.39×28 topics
  6. Education7▲ 2.6×15 topics
  7. Economic Growth7▲ 5.1×10 topics
  8. Educational Technology6▲ 3.1×12 topics
  9. Deep Learning6◆ 1.05×20 topics
  10. Environmental Management5▲ 7.3×6 topics
  11. Artificial Intelligence5▲ 2.1×11 topics
  12. Online Learning5▲ 3.5×6 topics
  13. Security4▲ 3.9×12 topics
  14. Pedagogy4▲ 4.4×5 topics
  15. Risk Management4▲ 4.7×5 topics
  16. Economic Development4▲ 2.8×12 topics
  17. Meta-Analysis4▲ 3.7×7 topics
  18. International Law3▲ 6.6×5 topics
  19. Teacher Training3▲ 3.1×5 topics
  20. Leadership3▲ 3.8×7 topics
  21. Global Governance3▲ 7.4×6 topics
  22. Organizational Culture3▲ 4.5×4 topics
  23. Consumer Protection3▲ 39×3 topics
  24. Economic Security3▲ 7.6×4 topics
  25. Regional Development3▲ 4.7×5 topics
  26. Cybersecurity2▲ 6.3×4 topics
  27. Destination Image2▲ 18×2 topics
  28. Financial Security2▲ 15×3 topics
  29. Cognitive Development2▲ 12×3 topics
  30. Distributed Systems2▲ 8.5×3 topics
  31. Equality2▲ 25×2 topics
  32. Fiscal Policy2▲ 7.1×5 topics
  33. Professional Development2▲ 6.8×8 topics
  34. Information Security2▲ 14×2 topics
  35. COVID-19 Impact2▲ 7.5×4 topics
  36. Cybercrime2▲ 20×2 topics
  37. Judicial Review2▲ 15×3 topics
  38. Mediterranean2▲ 14×2 topics
  39. Public Administration2▲ 15×2 topics
  40. Black Sea2▲ 32×1 topic

Which research topics does Varna Free University publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Marine and environmental studies, Information and Cyber Security, Business and Economic Development and Urbanization and City Planning.

Marine and environmental…2Marine and environmental studies: 2 fractional worksInformation and Cyber Se…2Information and Cyber Security: 2 fractional worksBusiness and Economic Development: 2 fractional worksUrbanization and City Pl…2Urbanization and City Planning: 2 fractional worksEducational Methods and …2Educational Methods and Teacher Development: 2 fractional worksUrban Transport and Accessibility: 1 fractional worksSustainable Development and Environmental Policy: 1 fractional worksCollaboration in agile e…1Collaboration in agile enterprises: 1 fractional worksNuclear and radioactivity studies: 1 fractional worksDiverse Aspects of Tourism Research: 1 fractional works
OceanographyInformation SystemsManagement, Monitoring, Policy and LawUrban Studies4 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Marine and environmental studies Oceanography 2 works
  2. 2 Information and Cyber Security Information Systems 2 works
  3. 3 Business and Economic Development Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law 2 works
  4. 4 Urbanization and City Planning Urban Studies 2 works
  5. 5 Educational Methods and Teacher Development Information Systems 2 works
  6. 6 Urban Transport and Accessibility Transportation 1 works
  7. 7 Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law 1 works
  8. 8 Collaboration in agile enterprises Management of Technology and Innovation 1 works
  9. 9 Nuclear and radioactivity studies Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality 1 works
  10. 10 Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research Sociology and Political Science 1 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available70.1%not open29.9%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors16.0%domestic only84.0%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Varna Free University's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 44% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Varna Free University as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00053% in 2024.

still counting0.00050%0.0010%Varna Free University0.00086% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Varna Free University over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting5%10%15%all institutions10.0% in 2025Varna Free University3.3% in 2025

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 7.2% in 2022.

Other research institutions in Varna

All research institutions in Varna

Share Varna Free University's ranking

Varna Free University on Science Explorer

A card with Varna Free University's standing and the fields it leads in, for a post or a slide. A link to this page previews as the same card.

Download the card

1200 × 630 PNG, sized for social posts, drawn from the latest snapshot.

Badges for a website1Each links back here and updates with every snapshot

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners have tabs of their own, above.

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about Varna Free University. Keep it to the research: no personal attacks, advertising or links. Any reader can report a post, which collapses it for everyone until it is opened.