An effective framework to support the increasing number of postgraduates through jobs suitable for their specialisation was needed, a university student who graduated yesterday said.
Jeffrey Micallef, who graduated in ICT, pointed out that government scholarships such as Steps, MGSS and Master It, led to more graduates and a higher quality of publications and patents by Maltese researchers.
More initiatives had to be identified to attract more research-based industry to Malta or encourage more local companies to invest in research, through cooperation with the university, Dr Micallef said during yesterday’s graduation ceremony at the Jesuits church in Valletta.
“Both local and European research funds reserved for scholarship schemes should be extended to provide for more post-doctoral positions,” he said, calling for more funding for the university to allow it to extend its academic body with the new Ph.D graduates to expand and explore new horizons.
“These will help to improve research, one of the pillars of any modern-based country, while encouraging more graduates to further their studies at Master or Ph.D level,” he said.
Senior lecturer Kristian Zarb Adami, director of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy, also addressed the graduates.
Faculty of Information and Communication Technology
Master in Information Technology
Sponsor: Prof. Ernest Cachia
Romina Mamo.
Master of Science in Information and Communication Technology
Sponsor: Prof. Ernest Cachia
Daniel Bartolo, Sabrina Bilocca, Analise Borg, Steve Camilleri*, Karl Casha, Noel Farrugia, Christian Galea, Liliana Mifsud and Kurt Ricci.
Master of Science
Sponsor: Prof. Ernest Cachia
Aimee Borda, Luke Borg Costanzi*, Colin Cachia, Mark Anthony Cachia, Shawn Cassar*, Clare Cini, Daniel D’Agostino*, Liam Farrugia, Steven Galea, Roderick Grech, Joseph Masini, Glenn Micallef, Hristo Stefanov Minchev*, Armand Sciberras, Aldrin Seychell, Kurt Sultana, Erica Tanti, Simon Theuma, Elaine Vassallo, Carl Anthony Xuereb, Audrey Zammit and Mandy Zammit.
Master of Science in Human Language Science and Technology
Sponsor: Prof. Ernest Cachia
Spandana Gella*, Aleksandre Maskharashvili*, Sapna Negi* and Marina Valeeva*.
Faculty of Science
Master of Science
Sponsor: Prof. Charles V. Sammut
Biology
Marie Antoinette Ellul, Frederick Lia, Reno Micallef and Clare Marie Mifsud.
Chemistry
Maria Cardona, Kristina Farrugia, John Gabaretta and Omar Sebastian Saliba.
Mathematics
Emanuel Cardona and John Sultana.
Metamaterials
Alistair Buttigieg.
Physics
Kimberly Abela, Denis Cutajar, Sara Fenech, William Hicklin and Alexander Smyth*.
Master of Science In Applied Chemistry
Sponsor: Prof. Charles V. Sammut
Maria Fenech.
Faculty for Social Wellbeing
Master in Counselling
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Fleur Bianco, Charisse Boffa, Melanie Bonavia, Annabelle Borg Gaffarena, Claudine Cachia, Isabel Camilleri, Stephanie Cassar, Anna Catania, Jeannie Cuomo, Sasha Na Jeong Farrugia, Katia Galea Schembri, Josephine Mifsud, Suzanne Mohnani, Lucienne Perera Vega, Dorienne Portelli and Ruth Stivala.
Master in Family Studies
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Deborah Atanasio, Maria Bugeja, Claire Casha, Stephanie Dimech and Matthew Vella.
Master of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Doris Aquilina and Adriana Grech Castillo.
Master of Psychology
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Ian Mario Azzopardi Meli, Darlinka Barbara, Mary Rose Bartolo, Charlene Borg, Maria Stephanie Bugeja, Nabrouska Cassar, Franica Cassar Annati, Ruth Cassar Bonanno, Liana Cortis, Tania Farrugia, Katya Galea, Philip Grixti, Mark Joseph Piscopo and Allison Zammit Said.
Master in Probation Services
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Gordon Grech.
Master of Arts in Transcultural Counselling
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Erica Bondin, Rose Marie Bugeja, Niamh Patricia Donoghue, Francesca Giordano, Bernice Micallef, Charlotte Ben Micallef, Steffen Alexander Rachut, Sandra Zammit and Wenjiao Zhang.
Master in Youth and Community Studies
Sponsor: Dr Maureen Cole
Elaine Attard, Mary Anne Bonavia, Christopher Bonnici, Deborah Bonnici, Josette Maria Camilleri, Sarah Jane Caruana, Ann Marie Cutajar, Patrick Gatt, Jane Meilak, Simon Schembri, Marthese Sultana, Audrey Zammit and Pauline Zammit.
Faculty of Science
Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Prof. Charles V. Sammut
Alessio Magro, Jackson Said and Noel Vella.
Doctor of Philosophy in Information Communication
Technology
Sponsor: Prof. Ernest Cachia
Michelle Cutajar, Brian Micallef, Jeffrey Micallef and Joseph Zammit.
*In absentia