Mario Thomas Vassallo graduated from the University of Malta in 1995, 1996 and 1999, specialising in public policy and European studies. In 2014, he was awarded a Ph.D. in politics from the University of Sheffield. His doctoral research, concerning the Europeanisation of interests groups and their role in domestic policy-making processes, is to be published in a monograph by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015.

For eleven years, Vassallo established a successful professional career in Malta's national telecommunications incumbent. He was Training and Development Manager responsible for a vast array of HR exercises. Among others, he conducted training courses in HR management in Tanzania, Malawi and Swaziland as part of development programmes devised by the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation.

Since 2007 Vassallo joined the University of Malta. Besides formal lecturing and pastoral work with students, he is a supervisor and examiner for undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations. His major research interests comprise globalisation, governance structures and processes, civil society and people management.

He is an accredited and certified proof-reader in Maltese language and has researched, produced and presented numerous radio programmes on Radju Malta, Campus FM and RTK. Vassallo has an avid interest in the cultural sphere, wherein he is involved in voluntary organisations promoting culture and the Maltese language.

Dr Mario Thomas Vassallo provides mentoring services to undergraduate and postgraduate students
who are doing their dissertations in partial fulfillment of their respective diplomas and
degrees. At present, Dr Vassallo is supervising dissertations on the following topics:

1) The reality of Multi-Level Governance in Malta's Energy Policy
2) Regenerating the skills portfolio of Malta Local Councillors