Top Scientists in Malta 2026

Prof. Georgios N. Yannakakis (Institute of Digital Games), Prof. Joseph N. Grima (Chemistry), Prof. Ruben Gatt (Metamaterials Unit), Prof. Albert Caruana (Corporate Comms), Prof. Michael Galea (Electrical Engineering), Prof. Holger Mitterer (Cognitive Science), and Prof. Patrick Schembri (Biology) were ranked in the list of best scientists of 2026.

Research.com’s data team creates the rankings based on the quality of academic research. They published the 12th edition of top scientists ranking using the numbers as of 1st January 2026. Research.com has been one of the major players in offering credible data on scientific contributions since 2014. The University of Malta rankings can be further filtered into the various disciplines.

Profs. Yannakakis, Grima, and Gatt were also included in the top 2% of scientists in the 2020 Stanford study analysing the contribution of over 7 million researchers, demonstrating a clear commitment to impactful research by the university.

Pro-Rector Prof. Ing. Simon Fabri stated “Seven University of Malta researchers present in these rankings prove our scientific vision isn’t bound by geographical limits. By consistently placing scholars on the global stage, we continue to be an important part of the international research conversation.” 

Sustaining this level of world-class excellence requires investment and the University of Malta relies heavily on competitive external funds to fulfil its research mission. In 2025, the University kicked off 145 new research projects with awards that amounted to €17.1 million. The international research ecosystem in Malta continues to grow as evidenced by the success of three local projects that received funding from Xjenza Malta: DataDear, GRYFFIN-Q, and OpTIMaL while also gaining international recognition at prestigious conferences.

Considering pursuing advanced research? Explore the departments of these top researchers and visit the Doctoral School’s website and see what options are available at the University of Malta.

Caption: Prof. Yannakakis at Google Scholar Event