Prof. Peter J. Baldacchino
My research areas relate mostly to auditing (external, internal and public sector), corporate governance in organisations, but particularly in companies and cooperatives. The common and innovative theme is the small state perspective to auditing and corporate governance with particular reference to Maltese organisations. Publications include articles in various peer-reviewed international journals, book chapters, conference proceedings, working papers and professional journals.

Prof. Silvio John Camilleri
My primary research involvement is in the area of securities markets. Throughout these past fifteen years I have worked across a diverse range of issues related to stock market microstructure, such as the efficacy of call auctions, non-synchronous trading, short selling activity, stock price seasonality, informational efficiency, and volatility. I have also explored the securities markets field from a strategic management perspective, with particular reference to emerging markets. My second area of research relates to bank management, including issues such as financial structure, service quality and the marketing of bank services. I occasionally get involved in economic-related research as well, such as the connection between the economy and stock markets, and the development process in frontier economies. Researching across such a wide range of areas was possible through the input of various co-authors, who have offered the opportunity for exchange of ideas and mutual learning. 

Prof. Vincent Marmara
I am an Associate Professor at the University of Malta with an academic background specialising in statistics and mathematics. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Statistics, Operational Research and Mathematics from the University of Malta, an MSc in Statistics from the University of Sheffield, UK, and a PhD in Mathematics (Statistics) from the University of Stirling, Scotland. My research interests include applied statistics, survey methodology, data analytics, forecasting, public opinion, decision-making, and social research. I have led and contributed to numerous national and international research projects, including the annual State of the Nation research, international academic research, national public opinion studies, large-scale surveys, and research examining demographic, social, cultural, and behavioural trends in Malta.

Prof. Marie Briguglio
I hold a Ph.D. in Economics (Stirling), a Master of Science in Environmental and Resource Economics (London, Distinction), and a B.A. Honours in Economics (Malta, 1st Class). My main research interests include market failure and the economics of altruistic behaviour, voluntary environmental cooperation, wellbeing and cultural participation, on which topics I have published extensively. Specializing in behavioural economics and the economics of wellbeing, environment and culture. Principal Investigator of the Malta Wellbeing INDEX project. Published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, reports, and books (i10-index: 25), with research funded by numerous competitive grants and agreements (including EU Horizon, UM Excellence Award, and MSCA). Executive Director of the Society for the Advancement of Behavioural Economics (SABE), Member of the University of Malta Research Ethics committee. Website: www.mariebriguglio.com.

Prof. Simon Grima
My current research and outreach activities focus on enterprise risk management, insurance,
financial regulation, corporate governance, organisational resilience, sustainability, fintech
and financial innovation. My recent work examines areas such as crypto-assets and perpetual
derivatives, board governance and corporate resilience, and the relationship between
sustainability practices and financial performance. I pursue this research through
international collaboration with academics and practitioners across Europe and beyond, as
well as through scholarly publications, edited book series, conferences, professional training
and industry engagement. My outreach also includes contributing to and Chairing the
European certification of professional Risk Managers (RIMAP) and other executive-education
initiatives, collaborating with professional and regulatory bodies, and translating academic
research into practical guidance on risk appetite, stress testing, business continuity, financial
controls and strategic decision-making.

Mr Philip Beattie
I am currently concentrating on research relating to two areas that impact risk and how it should be conceptualised, namely:
a. the notion of frenetic intemperance, defined as a restless, explosive and relentless drive that manifests itself within the financial economy by seeking to throw off legitimate constraints and gratifying disordered passions (Horvat, 2013)
b. the notion of financialisation, which, albeit subject to various definitions, refers to the increasing role of financial motives, financial markets, financial actors and financial institutions in the operation of the domestic and international economies. (Epstein, 2004).
I will attempt to determine whether or not the Austrian School of Economics and Risk provides, or allows for, a coherent explanation of these terms. In simpler terms, the objective is to determine whether or not these two notions are compatible with an Austrian School understanding of financial and risk economics.
 
Dr Andre Farrugia
I am currently researching how insurance practice, particularly underwriting and claims
handling, must adapt to the convergence of smart contracts, artificial intelligence and
evolving governance, risk and compliance expectations. Drawing on case study experience
and analysis of parametric products, algorithmic underwriting and the Solvency II regime, I
am developing a reform model and index that identify where human judgement,
accountability and regulatory oversight now sit within increasingly automated insurance
processes. I am examining the displacement of traditional problems, namely the oracle
problem, immutability versus the law’s need to correct, proxy discrimination, model opacity,
data protection friction and moral hazard. The study considers when jurisdictions such as
Malta are ready to reform insurance practices, and offers insights for legislators, regulators
and stakeholders on adapting to changing consumer behaviour, information technology and
the deepening role of insurance within corporate governance and compliance frameworks.
 
Dr Jonathan Spiteri
My current research interests include sustainability and ESG risks, macroeconomic policy,
innovation, behavioural economics, health and finance. Over the years my research has been
published in several leading international journals and books, and I’ve also contributed to
several high-profile research projects, notably the FP7-funded NUDGE-IT project, related to
behavioural economics and health, and the Horizon 2020-funded R2Pi project, which delved
into circular economy business models.

Ms Sharon Seychell
My research sits at the intersection of the sociology of risk and decision-making under
uncertainty, examining how risk-taking is socially constructed and unevenly distributed rather
than purely a matter of individual calculation. This orientation grew out of my Master's
dissertation, which used a Durkheimian and Mertonian lens on anomie to examine the
mishandling of financial derivatives, showing how normlessness in deregulated financial
environments can structurally incentivise excessive risk-taking. Building on this, my current
work extends into three connected strands. First, drawing on thinkers such as Beck, Douglas,
and Giddens, I situate risk as a social and moral category shaped by institutions and culture
rather than rational choice alone. Second, I investigate sex differences in risk-taking
behaviour, critically examining how much of this variation stems from socialisation, gendered
expectations, and differential exposure to risk rather than fixed biological traits. Third, I am
interested in how the social environment, including peer groups, organisational culture, and
institutional norms, shapes individual risk decisions, extending the anomic framework from
finance into other institutional settings. Together, these interests point toward a research
agenda treating risk-taking as fundamentally social.

Dr Christian Bonnici West
My research interests centre on information security governance and technology risk
management, with a particular focus on privacy, consent and surveillance. He is interested in
the organisational, ethical and societal implications of emerging technologies, including
artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, distributed ledger technologies and quantum
computing. His interests also encompass governance, risk and compliance, risk culture, and
the opportunities and challenges arising from digital innovation in financial services,
particularly fintech and InsurTech.

Prof. Pierpaolo Marano 
My current research investigates how European Union law is reshaping insurance and
financial regulation in response to technological, institutional and societal change. At the
centre of this research agenda is a broader question: how are regulatory authority,
responsibility and accountability being redistributed within increasingly complex systems of
EU governance?

My work examines the interaction between horizontal EU regulation and sector-specific
regimes, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence, systemic risk, resilience and
sustainability. I am especially interested in the institutional interfaces that arise when
different regulatory frameworks, supervisory authorities, and levels of governance operate
simultaneously.

A second strand of my research explores the changing boundaries between private law and
regulation in insurance, including the emergence of customer value, prevention and product
governance as regulatory categories and the evolving role of insurance distribution.
More broadly, my research seeks to understand forms of regulatory governance in which
legally significant norms are increasingly produced beyond traditional legislation, and the
consequences of this transformation for institutional accountability, judicial review and the
protection of policyholders.

Dr Elaine Marie Grech
Current research that I'm focusing on for my Ph.D. studies relate to the use of gamification to increase users' engagement and motivation. Gamification is the process of creating a gameful experience through incorporating engaging elements that are typically found in games to non-game contexts. The concept of gamification has been applied in several contexts, including health and well-being, education and learning, organisation engagement, environmental behaviour and market research.

Rev. Dr Carmel Tabone
The Threat of Globalisation on Sustainable Human Development - One would expect that globalisation, which has brought human beings in close proximity to one another, is valuable for human development. But, on the contrary, very often the opposite happens, in that it has the effect that the few capitalists continue to thrive as they have more people whom they can exploit. Globalisation is not only economic in nature but its roots are capitalistic. Where the purpose is profit at all costs, even at the cost of human beings themselves, very little room remains for the promotion of what is human. In this paper I will focus on what is meant by sustainable human development, with all its implications, and examine whether and how globalisation is being a threat to this development.