Born at Birkirkara, Malta in 1954. He studied at the Lyceum Grammar School, the Royal University of Malta's Junior College, and at the University of Malta from where he graduated B.Sc. in chemistry and biology in 1975 and M.Sc. in biology in 1977. He was then awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship at the University of Glasgow, Scotland from where he obtained the Ph.D. degree in zoology in 1980. He later carried out research work at the University of Otago, New Zealand (Postdoctoral Fellowship 1981-82), at the University of Delaware, USA (Fulbright Senior Research Scholarship 1985-86), and at the University of Durham, England (Durham Research Foundation Visiting Fellowship 1992). In 1999 he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Biology (Britain, now the Royal Society of Biology) and registered as a Chartered Biologist. In 2000 he was appointed Honorary Research Associate of the University Marine Biological Station, Millport (University of London). He is a Full Professor in the Department of Biology of the University of Malta and was Head of the department between 1992 and 1996.
Marine benthic ecology
Impact of environmental change on Mediterranean coastal and marine biodiversity
Faunistics of the Maltese Islands with particular reference to biogeography
IES5032 - Biodiversity Conservation 2: Applied Science for Management
ISS5200 - Introduction to the Study of Islands and Small States 1: Economic and Environmental Issues
SCI3501 - Academic Writing and Statistical Techniques for Scientific Research
He has authored over 200 papers in refereed scientific journals and more than 300 other works including reports, conference papers, book chapters and books, as well as numerous popular articles on biological topics. (For a list of papers in refereed journals go to Publications; for a list of books, book chapters, conference papers and other works go to Other works; for some hard to find publications on Maltese biodiversity and its conservation, and on the Maltese natural environment, go to Publications on Maltese Biodiversity)
He acts as a consultant on the living natural resources and the natural environment of the Maltese Islands to a number of Government departments and agencies and to private enterprise.