Members

Members

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Prof David Mifsud graduated with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Malta and then he continued his studies in Switzerland (Basel) where he earned a Ph.D. in zoology. He is also a Fellow of the Linnean Society (FLS) and of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES) and five years ago he was also awarded the National Order of Merit (MOM) for his vast contributions in biodiversity studies related to the Maltese Islands. Currently, David holds the post of Full Professor at the Department of Rural Sciences and Food Technology, Institute of Earth Systems. He is also the Director of the Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences and a Council Member at the University of Malta where he represents the academic body. David is President of the Entomological Society of Malta (ESM) and Founder of the Association of Maltese Apiculturists (AMA).

 

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Prof. Simone Fattorini commenced his academic journey at Rome University "Sapienza," where he earned both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biological Science with distinction, followed by a Ph.D. in Animal Biology. Currently a Full Professor at the University of L’Aquila, he teaches Ecology and Statistical Ecology.

Simone’s prolific academic output includes over 150 publications. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Biogeography and is deeply involved in numerous research projects. These projects range from identifying critical areas for invertebrate conservation to ecological, paleogeographical, and evolutionary factors that shape faunal patterns on islands and broader biodiversity patterns across terrestrial and marine environments.

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Dr James Ciarlo` is a climate scientist with a Ph.D. from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Malta (obtained in 2017). He studies climate change, specifically by using climate models that focus on Europe. He spent over 4 years working at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics where he partook in research that contributed to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. James joined the Institute of Earth Systems in August 2022 after being awarded the Marie Sklodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant to work on PALEOSIM - a research project to determine the climate impact on arthropod (mostly insects) habitats on small islands ranging from the last ice age (21,000 years ago) to the end of the 21st century.

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Simone Cutajar is a STEM educator and researcher with a BSc (Hons) degree in chemistry and biology and an MRes in chemistry from the University of Malta, as well as an MSc in Conservation Biology from Imperial College London. Simone has cross-sectional experiences and practical and theoretical knowledge in laboratory research, fieldwork, STEM education, science communication, and community engagement projects. Simone has worked in several countries as a field and lab researcher, including South Africa, Honduras, Belgium, Bulgaria and England. Simone is currently reading for a Masters in Entrepreneurship and a PhD in microbiology, isolating and identifying the gut microorganisms present in Maltese honey bees.

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Mr Arthur Lamoliere is an environmental biologist by training, specifically in conservation biology with a keen interest in GIS and spatial data. Arthur has been working as a Research Support Officer at the University of Malta since June 2020 and joined the Institute of Earth Systems in June 2021. Besides administrative and project management duties, he’s compiling current knowledge on Non-indigenous organisms and coordinating invasive plant eradication intervention, ecological monitoring and educational activities.

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Martina G. Mifsud is a third-year student currently completing her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Malta. She is passionate about science communication and citizen science, and in 2023, she volunteered as a leader in the Malta Pollinators Monitoring Scheme (MPOMS) project.  Her main research interests include entomology, ecology, microbiology, and parasitology. These interests led her to focus on the gut microbiota of oriental hornets for her undergraduate dissertation.

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Matthew Calleja is a graduate of Biology currently undertaking his Masters with the Institute of Earth Systems. He is very interested in taxonomy and evolutionary biology, especially related to plants and insects. He is currently focusing on the BEE-GUARDS project, for which he is also appointed a Research Support Officer with Prof. David Mifsud. This project will focus on finding effective innovative techniques to combat Varroa mite infestations in bee colonies. He has also been a part of many citizen science projects, such as the Malta Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (MPOMS), the Wild for Orchids campaign, and the PALEOSIM project. He is also a validator for Observation.org, which is an online database that collects distributional data of species around the world.

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Dr. Godwin Degabriele is a PhD graduate from the Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta, specialising in the diversity of thrips (Insecta (Hexapoda): Thysanoptera) of the Maltese Islands. He is also the main author of the only two papers on Thysanoptera of the Maltese Islands which record the presence of 52 species, 44 of which are new records. 

Godwin is also a trained butterfly farmer from the Stratford–upon–Avon Butterfly Farm, UK. Moreover, he has also extensively studied the dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) of the Maltese Islands and has published a number of papers on Maltese Odonata. His research interests include Thysanoptera, Odonata and Lepidoptera (Rhopalocera) diversity and behavior. He is also a Fellowship member of the Royal Entomological Society.

 

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Gabriel Grima is reading for a double honours BSCE in Biology and Chemistry at the University of Malta. He is focusing his studies on entomology and is researching the parasitoids of aphids in Malta.

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Julia Azzopardi is a student at the University of Malta completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology. With an interest in entomology, microbiology, biotechnology and bioinformatics, Julia is currently focusing her undergraduate dissertation on investigating the differences in the intestinal microbiota of treated and untreated Apis mellifera ruttneri colonies. Her interest in pollinators extends beyond her academic work, as she is also an active volunteer with the Malta Pollinators Monitoring Scheme (MPOMS) Project, contributing to research efforts within her community.

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Enya Haber graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biology in 2017 and is currently continuing her studies, reading for a M.Sc. with the Institute of Earth Systems at the University of Malta.  Enya is working on compiling a list of insects, alien to the Maltese Islands, and categorising these species using the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) tool.

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Dorian Abela graduated with a B. Sc. in Biology from the University of Malta. His dissertation focused on Soil Endogean Insects from the Maltese Islands. Whilst doing his B. Sc. he also spent 2 years with the Science Students Society (S-Cubed), first as Education Officer, then as International Officer. His current research interests include endogean fauna and island endemism.

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Clifford Borg is currently working as a Principal Scientific Officer at Ambjent Malta within the Ministry for the Environment. His work-related topics cover marine protected areas, integrated coastal/dune management, marine litter, artificial reefs, and habitat restoration techniques such as Posidonia transplantation and the removal of non-indigenous species. He has worked on a vast range of topics that cover agriculture, rural development, plant health, noise and air pollution, green infrastructure, fisheries, and climate change. He has completed his Bachelor's Degree in Biology and Chemistry. His dissertation was related to conservation and was entitled "Biological Study of the Maltese Hedgehog for Conservation". Currently, he is completing a Master's Course in Environmental Sciences, and his thesis is related to beach macro-litter in sandy littoral habitats.

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Thomas Galea is currently reading for Master of Science in Agriculture and further expanding his studies on the behaviour of the Maltese honeybee towards Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite that has detrimental effects on honeybees.

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Thomas Cassar graduated with a BSc in biology from the University of Malta in 2022, earning First Class honours. His main area of research is the study of insects (entomology) - with a particular focus on Hymenoptera, Mantodea, myrmecophily & biological invasions - but he is also actively involved in other fields, namely arachnology, myriapodology, and the study of terrestrial and freshwater flatworms and crustaceans. In total, he has discovered and described 4 new species to science and he has authored 30 scientific papers about arthropod taxonomy, ecology and faunistics. Through his research he has added 75 previously-unrecorded species to the fauna of the Maltese archipelago and he has recorded 3 species as new to Europe. He is passionate about science communication and  is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Directing and Producing Science & Natural History at the National Film and Television School, UK.

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Mr Stephen Mifsud is a local botanist who have been studying the Maltese flora since 2002 and authored over 60 peer-reviewed papers including the description of new species of plants and fungi. He published a comprehensive book on Maltese orchids and created the popular website about local flora – MaltaWildPlants.com. Apart from ecological and mapping work carried out for the Environment & Resources Authority and then at the EcoGozo Directorate, he evaluated several red list species for the IUCN; led projects to control alien invasive species; gave consultations on various floristic projects and tutors botanical lectures at the University of Malta. He has recently started studying Mycology. He is qualified in medical laboratory science (1999), agriculture (2005), botany and taxonomy (2013) and mycological studies (2023)  from the universities of Malta and Edinburgh.


https://www.um.edu.mt/research/berg/members/