On 22nd September, chairing his first Senate meeting as Rector of the University of Malta, Professor Alfred J. Vella announced that he had accepted an invitation to become a Visiting Professor of Chemistry at the University of Warwick.
Commenting on the appointment, Warwick Alumni Ambassador Dr Martin Spillane spoke of Professor Vella’s expertise in Environment Chemistry, which he will now share with students and researchers at Warwick. Dr Spillane said that, following his previous recommendation that H.E the President of Malta be appointed as an Honorary Professor of Politics at Warwick, progress had already been made, with a joint Warwick-Malta project to research the routes followed by Mediterranean migrants, funded by a £150,000 grant from the UK Economic and Social Research Council. This is to be followed by joint Neuroscience and other research projects and exchanges. Such cooperation will undoubtedly be facilitated by Professor Vella’s Warwick appointment, which Dr Spillane said 'is a fine tribute not only to the Rector, but also to the Neuroscience and other research which is being conducted at the University of Malta.'
Professor Vella is insistent that it is important to balance 'teaching with research, as, without the latter, the University would simply be a glorified secondary school, for 'what gives us the pedigree as a university is research.' He says 'he is aware that it may be difficult to achieve the right balance, especially as, being the only national university, we cannot renege on teaching, but we have to be a research-engaged university and, with proper guidance, students can have an important part to play in this.'
In consequence Professor Vella is keen to support the Warwick initiative to promote collaboration in research and teaching between the two universities; to facilitate the exchange of staff, students and researchers; to develop joint Warwick-Malta PhD, Master’s and other academic programmes; and to introduce new areas of research at both universities.
Professor Vella holds a B.Sc. in Physics and Chemistry and an M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Malta. In 1980 he was awarded a research scholarship at the Colorado School of Mines, a university founded in 1874, specialising in Mining Science and Engineering, and now ranked by USA Today as the top university for engineering in the USA. This is located in the picturesque city of Golden, Colorado, a Wild-West, gold-rush town in the foothills of the American Rocky Mountains, so the contrast to Malta could not have been greater.
In 1984, Professor Vella graduated from the School of Mines with a Ph.D. in Organic Geochemistry. He is well known for his interest in the chemistry of the environment, which possibly sprang from his time at the School, which 'prioritises ... understanding the Earth, harnessing energy and sustaining the environment’ with a science and engineering curriculum that 'emphasises responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources.' He still conducts and publishes his research, which has latterly been into the environmental effects of firework displays and also into Tributyltin, traditionally used for marine anti-fouling weed control. This is now known to persist in the environment, a subject on which he has become an internationally recognised expert.
Professor Vella served for many years as Head of the University of Malta Department of Chemistry, as Dean of the Faculty of Science and latterly as Pro-Rector for Academic Affairs, Although active in teaching and research and very busy with university administration, Professor Vella's expertise used frequently to be called upon as a Court Forensic Expert in judicial inquiries into chemical accidents, fires and explosions. He is currently Director of the Malta National Authority for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Professor Vella served for many years as Head of the University of Malta Department of Chemistry, as Dean of the Faculty of Science and latterly as Pro-Rector for Academic Affairs, Although active in teaching and research and very busy with university administration, Professor Vella's expertise used frequently to be called upon as a Court Forensic Expert in judicial inquiries into chemical accidents, fires and explosions. He is currently Director of the Malta National Authority for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).