Dr. Elena Trencheva holds a Ph.D. from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Semiotics of Costume in Science-Fiction Film (2008). The dissertation focuses on the reading and interpretation of costumes in science fiction film from a phenomenological and a semiotic perspective. The thesis was funded by The National Culture Fund, Bulgaria, and was published under the title From Metropolis to the Matrix (in Bulgarian). She mainly researches and publishes on costume design for film, while being also an active costume and production designer.
Elena was a Post-doctoral researcher in Costume Design at Aalto University, Finland (2013–15). Currently she is an Associate Professor in Production Design and Costume Design for Film at NATFA.