B.A.(Melit.),M.Sc.(Surrey)

Ms Veronica Grech was appointed Registrar in January 2009, after having acted as Registrar Designate for one year. She started her career at the University over 40 years ago at the Office of the Rector. In the following years she occupied various positions at the MATSEC Support Unit and at the Office of the Registrar.

As Registrar, she is responsible for the academic administration of the University.  Her Office is responsible for students, from the time of their application for admission till their graduation.  She also acts as Secretary to Senate and to a number of committees appointed by Senate. The Registrar leads a large team, including the Admissions and Records Office, Student Information Management System (SIMS) Office, Students Advisory Services, Scheduling Office and Stipends Office.

As a member of the senior management team, the Registrar provides direction and leadership in setting and maintaining standards of service delivery in accordance with the University’s strategic objectives and Senate’s direction. She also ensures that the interfaces of activity between the Offices under her responsibility are well integrated and co-ordinated.

 B.Com.(Hons.)(Melit.),M.A.(Public Policy)(Melit.)

Mr Colin Borg graduated from the UM, specialising in Private and Public Sector Management at an undergraduate level and Public Policy (Governance) at postgraduate level. At a Bachelor’s level, Mr Borg studied various academic disciplines including: policy analysis and evaluation, corporate strategy, human resources management, operations management, managerial economics, operations research, accounting, foundations of finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, policy-making in micro-states and organisational dynamics. At a Master’s level, the areas of specialisation were comparative public policy, public management, governance, political polarisation and local government. 

Mr Colin Borg forms part of the Office of the Registrar as a Deputy Registrar responsible for the Students Information Management System (SIMS), the Doctoral School, the Scheduling Office and assessment results. He has been involved in the setting up of the University's Doctoral School and the Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition to his work at the UM, Mr Borg worked at the Office of the Prime Minister, between 2005 and 2007, gaining experience in bilateral programmes, EU funding, project management and organisational techniques. 

Mr Borg also lectures at the Department of Public Policy, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and is currently a Ph.D. student studying the governance and management of higher education in Malta. Mr Borg published papers in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in the areas of governance, public management, local governance and higher education.  

 M.Ed.(Sheffield)

Ms Jacqueline Fenech was appointed Director for HRM&D in 2007. Prior to working at UM, Ms Fenech held senior management posts at the Foundation for Human Resources Development, the Employment & Training Corporation, now Jobsplus, and with the civil service in the United Kingdom. 

Ms Fenech obtained her Masters Degree in Education from the University of Sheffield and her Diploma in Training Management from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Her specialisation lies in leadership, training and development and mentorship. 

 GCertQA

Ms Jo-Anne Attard is the Deputy Registrar in charge of the Academic Programmes Quality and Resources Unit (APQRU). This unit, which she helped to set up, is the administrative arm of the Programme Validation Committee (PVC) which has been entrusted by Senate with the validation of new and existing programmes of study.  

APQRU is dedicated to the facilitation of quality assurance mechanisms intended to ensure that the programmes on offer are of the appropriate academic standard and comparable to similar programmes offered by other international institutes of repute, are supported by the necessary resources, and are responsive to national and market needs. Through the coordination and implementation of feedback exercises the Unit ensures that the student experience is given paramount priority.

Ms Attard also provides support to academics with the planning and updating of programmes of study in order to ensure that the processes set up to ensure quality outcomes are followed.

 B.A.(Hons)(Melit.),M.Psychoanalysis(V.U.Melbourne),Ph.D.(La Trobe)

Dr Jean-Paul Baldacchino is the Head of Department of Anthropological Sciences and Director of the Mediterranean Institute. By profession Dr Baldacchino is an anthropologist and a psychoanalyst. He is strongly committed to the principle of collective representation as the linchpin of genuinely democratic industrial relations. He believes that UMASA plays a crucial role in ensuring that changes in the employees' working conditions and their work environment happen with academics and is not imposed on them. Dr Baldacchino has been a Member of UMASA Council since 2015, having served first as PRO and from 2016 as President of the Association.  

 B.A.(Hons),M.A.(Bonn-Firenze),Ph.D.(Melit.)

Dr Katrin Dautel graduated in German and Italian Studies from the Universities of Tübingen, Bonn and Florence and was awarded her doctoral degree from the University of Malta where she is currently employed as lecturer in German language and literature. Her main research areas are German contemporary literature with a special focus on space constructivist approaches and island fictions. She is a member of the UMASA executive council in the role of treasurer since May 2018, taking care of, among other things, the membership administration and the finances of the association.

 B.Eng.(Hons),Ph.D.(Sheff.),FIMMM

Dr Ing. Glenn Cassar graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the UM in 2004. In 2006 Dr Cassar joined the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the University as an Assistant Lecturer. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Sheffield for his work related to the improvement in the tribological characteristics of titanium alloys using duplex intensified plasma treatments. For this work, he was awarded the 2011 Brunton Medal for Metallurgical Research. 

Following his return to the UM, Dr Cassar was promoted to Senior Lecturer, and he now continues to work on research focusing on surface engineering of light metals alloys and the study carbon-based nanomaterials using probe microscopy. He also lecturers various study units at both under and postgraduate level. Dr Cassar is Head of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. 

 B.Ed.(Hons),M.Sc.(Biol.),Ph.D.

Dr Sandro Lanfranco is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology within the Faculty of Science, where he mainly teaches Plant Biology and Evolutionary Biology. His research, and that of his students is mainly concerned with vegetation dynamics in terrestrial and freshwater habitats. He also carries out research on temporary freshwater rockpools and their biota.

 B.A.(Melit.),M.Sc.(Manc.),Ph.D.(Manc.)

Dr Gillian Martin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, and her key areas of academic interest are Sociology of Health and Illness, and Sociology of the Body. She came to academia as a mature student after a previous career in nursing in the UK, and has a doctorate in Sociology from the University of Manchester.

Her research interests are rooted in medical sociology with particular focus on the lived experience of illness, and on the social context and social impact of genomic research and donation to biobanks. She has expertise in qualitative methodology with experience in creative interviewing and child-centred data generation techniques. She is an active member of the BBMRI-ERIC ELSI team - a pan-European research infrastructure for Biobanking and Biomolecular Research where she contributes expertise in social and ethical issues related to Biobanking.

 B.A.(Hons)(Melit.),Dip.Laws of Proc.(Melit.),M.Sc.(Leics.)

Mr Pierre Cassar was appointed as Director of the MCAO in September 2016, however he is no newcomer to University. He spent seven years working at Campus FM, eventually serving as Station Manager. He is visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, Faculty for Social Wellbeing and Institute for Physical Education and Sport, and is also active in sport administration.

In March 2009 he was appointed as Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority. During his term in office, the Broadcasting Authority held the Chair of the Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities in 2012 and oversaw six electoral campaigns including two referenda. Mr Cassar has extensive experience in broadcasting media having worked in sports journalism for 18 years. He has also held managerial posts in corporate communications at Heritage Malta and the former Institute for the Promotion of Small Enterprise.

  B.Comm.(Melit.),M.B.A.(Perugia)

A UM graduate in Communication Studies and International Relations, Stefania obtained a Masters in Business Communications from the Università degli Studi di Perugia in 2005. Stefania joined the UM in 1999 following a year’s traineeship at the Socrates, Youth and Leonardo Technical Assistance Office in Brussels. Originally engaged for the implementation of the Erasmus and other EU Programmes at the UM, Stefania took on the role of Deputy Director following the merging of the International Office and the European Unit in 2007.

Moving on to become Director in 2009, Stefania spearheaded a plan for the expansion and development of support services for international students, an increase in externally-funded scholarships, engagement with various countries and regions that saw a hefty increase in the UM’s international student numbers along with a stronger participation in the Erasmus+ programme and other initiatives, programmes and events that seek to build on the internationalization of the UM.  

  B.Ed.(Hons)(Melit.),M.Ed.(Melit.)

Mr James Cilia is the Deputy Director and Head of User Services of IT Services. Prior to joining UM in 2000, he taught in a secondary school. He holds a Masters in Education (IT Education) from UM and is completing a Ph.D. at the Institute of Education, University College London. 

He manages User Services comprising User Support and Learning Technologies. User Support encompasses the Helpdesk and second line teams providing support on desktops, laptops, printers, software and hardware purchasing. The Learning Technologies team supports and advises on the use of the VLE (Moodle), Turnitin, lecture capture, videoconferencing, computer-aided exams, eportfolio and web content management system. 

He sits on several University Committees: Distance & E-Learning Committee, Professional Development Committee, Web Editorial Board and Plagiarism Committee. He has played a key role in many IT-related projects including the launch of the VLE, Turnitin, lecture capture, classroom technologies, web content management system and My UM mobile app.

His professional interests include blended and online learning, academic development and digital education. He delivers workshops related to learning technologies and coordinates the 'Foundations of University Teaching and Learning' programme.

 D.L.I.S.,M.Sc.(L'Boro)

Mr Kevin J. Ellul, is the Director - Library Services. In 2004, he graduated with a Masters degree in Library and Information Management from Loughborough University, UK. He contributes actively towards the scholarly information strategy of the UM through a proactive role in the digital learning and study environment, in close affinity with patron needs, emergent publishing ventures, and the University’s teaching programmes and research initiatives. 

Mr Kevin J. Ellul  is a member of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) and is particularly interested in information literacy, human information behaviour and open science.  He sits on the UM Senate, is the National Point of Reference on Access to and Preservation of Scientific Information, NOAD for OpenAire-Advance and is a member of the Malta University Press Editorial Board and Plagiarism Committee.  Moreover, he is a member of the Emerald Library Advisory Network and Springer Nature Library Advisory Board.

  Dipl.-Phys.,M.Phil.(Cantab.),Ph.D.(Cantab.)

Dr Axel Steuwer is the Director of the recently established Research Support Services Directorate at the University of Malta. The Directorate supports academics in all matters of research from laboratories to obtaining competetive funding, and can help to link researchers requests with the relevant entities at the UM. He holds a PhD in Materials Science & Metallurgy from the University of Cambridge, and has been working in the triple helix of academia, public authorities and industry for nearly two decades.

  M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering

With a mechanical engineering background, 8 years’ experience of building, managing and coordinating international research projects and having raised 10+ million funds for R&D and product development, I have a good understanding of what it takes to commercialise research.

I joined the UM’s knowledge transfer team in 2014 and were promoted to Manager of the Knowledge Transfer Office in 2018. Our responsibility is managing the University’s Intellectual Property portfolio and enhancing the exploitation of the University’s research potential by facilitating the transformation of research results, discoveries and generated knowledge into products, services and applicable knowledge for the benefit of society and industry. In order to do so, we offer academics various services such as IP check, IP assessment, commercialisation strategy building, business plan creation and guide them through the processes of patenting, licensing, collaborating with industry and corporation of spin-offs.

  B.Com. (Hons)(Melit.),M.A.(Melit.)

Ms Alexandra Attard is the Senior Manager for the Post-Award team of the Project Support Office. The team supports academics in the financial management and administration of externally funded projects, from project award to closure and post closure and currently manages over 250 projects with a value of approximately €30m. 

She received a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics in 2005 and a Master of Arts in European Studies in 2010, both from the University of Malta. She is also a member of the Finance Working Group of the BESTPRAC COST Action and a registered Prince2 Practioner. 

Before joining the University of Malta, Alexandra worked as an Economics Officer at the Economic Policy Department, within the Ministry of Finance, whereby she specialised in trade policy issues at EU and WTO level.