Стефан Дечев е доцент по нова и най-нова история на България и историография в ЮЗУ „Неофит Рилски“ – Благоевград, и лектор по история на мъжествеността в СУ „Св. Климент Охридски“. Научните му интереси са в областта на политическата култура, национализъм и идентичност, история на сексуалността, храна и хранене. По-важни негови публикации са “Who are the Bulgarians? “Race”, science and politics in fin-de-siècle Bulgaria – In: We, the people. Politics of National Peculiarities in South-East Europe (2009); Who are Our Ancestors? “Race”, Science and Politics in Bulgaria 1879-1912. Saarbrücken: Lambert Academic Publisher, 2010; Политика, пол, култура. Статии и студии по нова българска история (2010); В търсене на българското. Мрежи на национална интимност (XIX-XXI век). (2010); Beltween Slavs and Old Bulgars: “Ancestors,” “Race” and Identity in Late Nineteenth-Century In: Geary, P., Klaniczay, G., Manufacturing Middle Ages. Entangled History of Medievalism in nineteenth-century Europe, Joep Leersen Series “National Cultivation of Culture”. (2013, pp. 347-376); Shopska salat”: The Road from an European Innovation to the National Culinary Symbol”, In: From Kebab to Ćevapčići. Eating Practices in Ottoman Europe” Interdisziplinäre Studien zum Östlichen Europa. (2018, forthcoming); “Procession of civilization” – the first Bulgarian Istanbul cookbook from 1870 and the road to modernity. – Kent Schull, Suraiya Faroqhi (eds.), Rethinking Late Ottoman Civilization (2018 forthcoming).
