Chief Assist. Prof. Aleksey Potebnya, PhD

Dr. Aleksey Potebnya (Алексей Потѐбня, Aleksey Potebnia) holds a Master's degree in Business Administration. He began his academic career in 2015 as a part-time assistant and became a full-time assistant in 2021 in the Department of Business Administration at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". In 2023, he was promoted to Chief Assistant Professor, and since 2024, he has served as the Scientific Secretary of the Department of Business Administration. He is proficient in Bulgarian, Russian, and English.

Dr. Potebnya teaches in the bachelor's and master's programs at the Faculties of Economics and Business Administration, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Geology and Geography at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".

Since 2022, Dr. Potebnya has been the administrator of the Master's Program in Digital Marketing. The program was transformed into the Faculty's first entirely online master's program in the 2024/2025 academic year, offering an innovative approach to teaching marketing in the digital environment by combining theoretical foundations with practical applications.

Additionally, Dr. Potebnya leads the Master's Program in Gamification in Business, Public, and Non-Governmental Sectors, which explores the application of game mechanics in various management and educational fields. The program provides innovative strategies for engaging customers and employees through gamification and is unique in the region.

He has participated in teaching the following courses:

• 2015 - Marketing for bachelor's programs (co-taught with Assistant Professor Dr. Mirena Todorova-Ekmechi and Prof. D. Sc. Neviana Krasteva; from 2017, with Prof. D. Sc. Neviana Krasteva; from 2024, with Prof. D.Sc. Neviana Krasteva, Chief Assistant Professor Dr. Irena Mladenova, and Assistant Professor Teodor Daskalov).
• 2017 - Digital Marketing for bachelor's programs (co-taught with Adjunct Lecturer Krasi Eneva from 2017, Adjunct Lecturers Georgi Ivanov and Kostadin Pashev from 2019).
• 2018 - Merchandising for bachelor's programs (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Neviana Krasteva).
• 2018 - Personal Selling for bachelor's programs (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Neviana Krasteva).
• 2018 - Fundamentals of Successful Sales and Merchandising for master's programs (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Neviana Krasteva).
• 2019 - Brand Management for bachelor's programs at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication (co-taught with Associate Professor Dr. Raya Kanazireva).
• 2020 - Marketing and Digital Marketing for bachelor's programs, taught in English (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Neviana Krasteva).
• 2021 - Fundamentals of Successful Sales for master's programs, taught in English (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Neviana Krasteva).
• 2021 - Gamification of Business Processes Project for master's programs.
• 2021 - Games as a Means of Teaching and Learning for master's programs (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Tsvetan Davidkov and Associate Professor Dr. Silvia Tsvetanska from 2021, and with Associate Professor Dr. Silvia Tsvetanska from 2022).
• 2023 - Advertising for bachelor's programs.
• 2024 - Introduction to Digital Marketing in Tourism for bachelor's programs at the Faculty of Geology and Geography (co-taught with Prof. D.Sc. Sonya Mileva-Bozhanova).

Dr. Potebnya supervises master's students on topics encompassing his main research areas and courses taught, including marketing and marketing management, digital marketing, artificial intelligence in marketing, gamification, consumer behavior psychology, brand management, and tourism marketing. His mentorship emphasizes combining theoretical knowledge with practical applicability, aligned with current challenges in these fields.

His research interests are reflected in publications such as "Digital Marketing – Artificial Intelligence and Consumer Behavior" (2019) and "Digital Marketing. Introduction" (2019), addressing topics like consumer behavior and digital strategies. His dissertation, "Evaluation of Existing Forms of Brand Presence in the Digital Environment and Proposals for Optimizing Presence" (2020), focuses on building trust in the digital environment.

Additionally, Dr. Potebnya co-authored "Gamification and Consumer Behavior Psychology" (2023), exploring the application of game mechanics in education and marketing. He has participated in scientific projects and conferences, presenting works such as "Development of a Gamified Electronic Learning Resource for Children: Marketing in Folk Tales and Fiction" (2023) and "Exploring Gamified Electronic Platforms for Marketing Education Through Folk Tales and Fictions" (2023), demonstrating his interest in innovative educational approaches.

Dr. Potebnya combines his teaching activities with research interests, presented in numerous scientific publications and conferences related to current issues in marketing and the digital environment. He is a practicing marketing specialist and consultant with over 15 years of experience, having worked with major Bulgarian and international brands.

Office hours: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, office 211 | Wednesday, 16:00–18:00 (by appointment)

Email: aleksey.potebnia@feb.uni-sofia.bg
Profile: Sofia University Research Database
Researcher ID (Web of Science): A-8196-2019
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3791-0326