Assistant Professor | Space Research and Technology Institute | Bulgaria
Dr. Milen Chanev is a Chief Assistant Professor at the Space Research and Technology Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where he leads innovative research at the intersection of remote sensing and sustainable agriculture. He holds a master’s degree in organic farming and a PhD in Earth remote sensing, specializing in the use of satellite data for monitoring and predicting yields in organic cereal systems. His research focuses on applying Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data, UAV platforms, and advanced geospatial analytics to optimize crop monitoring, enhance yield forecasting, and support precision organic farming. He has previously contributed as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Agriculture in Karnobat under the Agricultural Academy of Bulgaria, where he advanced interdisciplinary research in agro-technologies. Over the course of his career, Dr. Chanev has produced impactful studies on organic barley, einkorn, and wheat, pioneering the use of satellite-derived vegetation indices and SAR-optical data fusion for crop development assessment. His contributions include methodological advancements for organic wheat crop monitoring, innovative use of UAV data for evaluating crop heterogeneity, and remote sensing approaches for evapotranspiration estimation and water productivity analyses. He has co-authored work on global biomass change mapping and has contributed to Springer and Elsevier publications, demonstrating both scientific depth and international relevance. His achievements have been recognized with multiple awards for best presentation by young scientists, including honors from the Sixteenth International Scientific Conference “Space, Ecology, Safety” in 2020 and the Seventh International Conference on Ecological Engineering and Environment Protection in 2021. Dr. Chanev is actively involved in scientific dissemination through peer-review roles, workshop participation, and membership in professional research communities. He contributes to academic dialogue through proceedings, international collaborations such as the Dragon-5 program, and workshops related to the EU Copernicus Programme. His vision centers on leveraging satellite and UAV technologies to promote resilient, climate-smart, and resource-efficient agricultural systems. By integrating Earth observation data into practical frameworks, his work supports sustainable food production, environmental monitoring, and policy development in precision agriculture and land management. He has 40 citations from 13 publications, with an h-index of 3.
Featured Publications
1. Chanev, M., Kamenova, I., Dimitrov, P., & Filchev, L. (2025). Evaluation of Sentinel-2 Deep Resolution 3.0 data for winter crop identification and organic barley yield prediction. Remote Sensing, 17(6), 957. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17060957
2. Chanev, M., & Dimitrov, Z. (2025). Study the applicability of Sentinel-2 optical data, as well as benefits from the Sentinel-1 SAR data, for predicting the yield of organic barley. Aerospace Research in Bulgaria, 37, 82–92. https://doi.org/10.3897/arb.v37.e08
3. Filchev, L., Chanev, M., & Petrov, G. (2025). Earth observation for comprehensive soil health assessment and monitoring. Revue Internationale de Géomatique, 34(1), 513–533. https://doi.org/10.32604/rig.2025.064280