Dr Natalie Kenely is a Resident Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta, where she has contributed to teaching, research, and academic leadership since 1994. Her teaching and supervision focus on professional development, reflective practice, practitioner wellbeing, and leadership in human service organisations.
Her scholarly work is centred on emotional intelligence, leadership, resilience, wellbeing, compassion fatigue and burnout, youth mental health, and social isolation and loneliness. Her doctoral research, Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership in Social Work, examined the relationship between leadership processes, organisational climate, and practitioner functioning, establishing a sustained trajectory of work at the intersection of leadership and professional wellbeing. She has published on leadership, emotional intelligence, resilience, reflective practice, and contemporary social challenges, with a consistent emphasis on bridging theory, research, and practice.
Dr Kenely has presented her research at national and international conferences and was awarded the Best Paper Award at the International Leadership Conference held at Ashridge Business School, London. Her academic engagements include invited international teaching and collaboration, particularly through Erasmus+ initiatives and visiting lectureships, contributing to cross-national dialogue on social work, leadership, and professional resilience.
Within the University, she has held several academic leadership and governance roles, including Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee and Head of the Department of Social Policy and Social Work. She coordinates social work practical placements and provides professional supervision to practitioners, maintaining close integration between academic work and practice contexts, including professionals operating within European institutional environments.
Dr Kenely is a warranted social worker and an active member of the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW). She currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Malta Diocese Safeguarding Commission.
