Prof Maurice Grech studied at the University of Malta and Birmingham, UK. During his distinguished career he worked at TeleMalta Corporation and Malta Development Corporation, now Malta Enterprise. He is now a full professor and has for the last thirty years occupied various positions at the University of Malta including that of Head of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, for over 15 years, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. Prof Grech has over 40 publications in fields like 'Austempered Ductile Iron', 'Heat Treatment', 'Surface Engineering, and others. Whist at the University he has acquired funds for several capital intensive projects that lead to the installation of state of the art heat treatment, surface engineering, testing and analytical facilities. He led numerous research projects including those with EU funding.
Between 2007-2012 he was Principal of the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology (MCAST), Malta's Vocational College with over 6000 full time students and 4000 evening learners. His major contribution during this period included the introduction of degree programmes and the acquisition of parity of esteem between vocational and traditional qualifications. His contributions in the field of education have been acknowledged both nationally through the Lifetime Excellence Award bestowed by the Malta Chamber of Professional Engineers and internationally through a number of awards including the FCGI Fellowship. The latter is a prestigious honorary qualification with a UK higher doctorate standing, bestowed by the City and Guilds Of London Institute ‘upon exceptional individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their field, gained the respect of their peers and can be considered role models for their profession' and particularly 'in recognition of his ability to manage people, information and operations in complex professional or technical situations and to formulate and implement strategies at the highest levels of responsibility'. Whilst at MCAST Prof Grech attracted circa €50 million worth of ESF and ERDF projects including: 'Making VET Education more Relevant and Attractive', 'Increasing accessibility, Flexibility and Innovation to MCAST's LLL course Offer', 'Inclusion for Employment', Development of an Applied Science and Business and Commerce Institutes and others.
