Prof Claire De Marco graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Malta in 1989 as a medical Mechanical Engineer with the Department of Health, St Luke’s Hospital, Malta who sponsored her during her undergraduate degree.

She continued her studies at the University of Reading, UK as a Research Assistant, whilst researching for her Ph.D attained in 1992. Her doctoral thesis entitled the ‘Tearing of Packaging Materials’ in the field of fracture mechanics funded by SERC, continuing her academic formation as a Research Fellow at Reading University on after completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, in Science (Physics), taught Physics and Mathematics at Reading Grammar School (1997-2003), attaining a Recognition Assessment in excellence of knowledge and understanding, teaching and assessment, pupil progress, wider professional effectiveness and professional characteristics from the Dffe, UK.

In 2003, she joined the University in the Mathematics Department (Junior College) lecturing Pure and Applied Mathematics and in 2008 joined the Mechanical Engineering Department, as an academic in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

She lectures at undergraduate/postgraduate level in naval architecture, ship structures, applied mechanics of cracked bodies, fundamentals in ship science and structural mechanics for maritime applications. Her research is mainly in the area of study of Maritime Engineering and Applied Engineering Mechanics, predominately in the field of naval architecture, light weight composite materials and sandwich structures, impact mechanics, structural analysis – experimental and computational, fracture and damage mechanics of advanced materials.

Claire is the coordinator of the Maritime Engineering area of study, Chair of the University Maritime Platform, University representative to the Malta Maritime Forum and Royal institution of Naval Architects, RINA, UK, and a RINA Council member.

Currently, Claire is the project leader of an H2020 Project - VENTuRE - A Virtual and physical Experimental towing ceNtre for The design of eneRgy Efficient sea fairing vessels funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and Innovation programme. Project No. 856887, (2020- ) and on the UM SEA-EU, The European University of the Seas, Erasmus+, RDI subcommittee (2019- ). She has also been the project leader and team member of various other research projects.