The University should consolidate and strengthen its strategies in identifying and securing research funding, the dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery said yesterday.

Nikolai Attard said independent researchers were often at a disadvantage when it came to securing backing. The University, he told a graduation ceremony, should provide proper training to help academics source research funding opportunities and lobby the government to be more flexible with what it offers.

“The University should also rethink the way it assesses the output of its academic body. Surely every department will have a blend of academic members that are more inclined in the areas of research or teaching,” said Prof. Attard.

“Both activities are important and should be recognised as potential routes for tenure within the institution,” he added, noting that evaluation systems already existed abroad and Malta should follow suit.

PhD graduand Gianluca Farrugia also spoke about research, urging the government and the University to strive to retain the current pool of talented Maltese researchers and also attract promising new ones.

Dr Farrugia said the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery’s pace of research had “improved by leaps and bounds over the past five years thanks to extensive laboratory refurbishments, employment of qualified research staff and investment in improved, if not state-of-the-art, research instruments and equipment.

“We now have a swelling community of young, motivated and very talented researchers who dedicate their time to the study of issues relevant to human conditions such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, genetically-inherited disorders and other ailments,” he said.

A sustained investment in scientific research had become a priority and was ultimately in the national interest, he said.

Doctor of Medicine and Surgery

Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla

Patrick Abela, Charlton Agius, David Agius, George Agius, Andrei Agius Anastasi, Jessica Agius De Giovanni, Sean Apap Mangion, Matthew Attard*, Giulia Ann Attard Navarro, Andrew Bernard, Matthew Bonello, Albert Borg, Jessica Borg, Sarah Borg Savona, Mark Brincat, Maximilian Brincat, Tiffany Buhagiar, Jessica Lee Burr Galea, Damien Calleja Stafrace, Alexander Camilleri, Karl Camilleri, Mary Louise Camilleri, Luana Caruana, Mandy Caruana, Elizabeth Cassar, Julian Cassar, Suzanne Cassar, Viktor Ivan Cassar, Benjamin David Chetcuti, Daniel Mario Chircop, Erica Cilia, Alexander Curmi, Rebecca Dalli, Christine Debattista, James Mark Debono, Krystle Ebejer, Elakeche Ella, Matthew Ellul, Francesca Falzon Aquilina, Alexia Farrugia, Ann Victoria Farrugia, Beatrice Farrugia, Leonard Farrugia, Glenn Ace Fenech, Jeremy Fenech, Jeremy Fleri-Soler, Sean Francalanza, Angel Galdes, Jeannine Gambin, Andrew Kristian Grech, Giovanni Grech, Mark Grech, Lorna Grech Fonk, Tara Grima, Kate Huntingford, Dimitrios Kopsidas, Daniela Magri, Nicholas Mamo, Sarah Ann Mercieca, Claudine Micallef, Clayton Micallef, Maria Antoinette Mifsud, Roberta Mifsud, Christabel Mizzi, Sean Kane Mizzi, Jessica Faye Pace, Etienne Mark Paris, Norma Pavia, David Pisani, Monika Prabhaker Kaushal, Alison Psaila, Victoria Rizzo, Mauro Sacco, Marina Sciberras, Ruth Scicluna, Wayne Tonna, Christian Vassallo, Jacob Vella, James Vella, Rosemarie Vella Baldacchino, Kurt Wismayer, Olaf Woods, Luke Zammit, Maria Alessandra Zammit, Sarah Jane Zammit and David Zammit Dimech.

Master of Science in Pharmacy

Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla

Khaled Abdelmaula, Adrian Busuttil, Asma Omar Ali*, Nicolette Sammut Bartolo, Maria Eliza Scerri and Claire Anne Scicluna.

Master of Science

Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla

Diane Farrugia, Christina Fiott and Oriana Mazzitelli.

Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla

James Andrew Agius*, Eiman Mohammed Daw, Seham Saadeddin Eljali and Dalal Ali Omar Mareh.

Master of Science in Public Health Medicine

Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla

Glorianne Bezzina, Maria Busuttil, Maya Podestà, Dorothy Scicluna and Helen Vella.

Faculty of Dental Surgery

Bachelor of Dental Surgery

Sponsor: Professor Nikolai Attard

Andrea Agius, Anne Marie Agius, Marina Andreeva, Ali Ashkanani, Jake Borg Falzon, Gareth Farrugia, Michael Gaffarena and Alison Xuereb.

Master of Science in Orthodontics

Sponsor: Professor Nikolai J Attard

Hani Alsaffar, Adriana Bartolo*, Waleed Ahmed Elbadawi Gabr Elshehawi*, Jan Marc Muscat and Erica Sultana Scerri*.

Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

Doctor of Philosophy

Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla

Mark Adrian Agius, Rita Josepha Darmanin Ellul, Yanika Debattista, Gianluca Farrugia and Paul Nikolai Pace. *In absentia.