Malta Chamber of Scientists elects a new president and council for 2024-2026
Dr Alexandra Bonnici was elected as the new president of the Malta Chamber of Scientists during the Annual General Meeting held on 19th February 2024. Dr Bonnici is succeeding the previous president, Prof Ing. Gianluca Valentino, who has held the post for two consecutive terms spanning over 4 years.
During his tenure, together with the outgoing Council, Prof. Ing. Valentino had spearheaded various initiatives, including rebranding the Chamber with a new website and running. He has supported various projects such as Wired Youth : Science Forum, ĊineXjenza, Science in the City, Malta Cafe Scientifique and Kids Dig Science. The Malta Chamber of Scientists signed memorandum of understanding agreements and collaborated with various entities such as the University of Malta and The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. Over the course of several years, the Chamber of Scientists put forward several proposals to improve the science and R&D ecosystem in Malta. Various meetings with stakeholders, including public and private entities, Government Ministers and other officials, were held to discuss important matters relating to local scientists, R&D in Malta and STEM matters at various educational levels. Prof. Valentino, in his message during his final AGM acting as President, said that “the Chamber of Scientists provides a valid platform for scientists, researchers, STEM educators and science communicators to continue working to ensure that science in Malta keeps moving in the right direction.”
The new president, Dr Alexandra Bonnici, is a senior lecturer and the Head of the Department of Systems & Control Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Malta, the Coordinator of the Certificate in Engineering Sciences, and the Treasurer of the ACM Special Interest Group on Hypertext and the Web (SIGWEB). She has read her PhD studies at the
University of Malta, specialising in the field of computer vision, specifically in the interpretation of hand-drawn sketches. She has been active in STEM engagement, having introduced the Engineering Technology Clubs at the Faculty of Engineering. In her message, Dr Bonnici thanked Dr Duca and Prof. Ing. Valentino for nominating her for the role and expressed her eagerness to work with the MCS team, expressing her hope to follow in the footsteps of Prof. Ing. Valentino in continuing the good work of the MCS.
The Malta Chamber of Scientists welcomes new council members and confirms several other roles : Prof André Xuereb as Treasurer, Dr Edward Duca as Secretary, Dr Matthew Agius as Public Relations Officer, Prof Jackson Said as Science Policy Officer, Prof. Giuseppe DiGiovanni as Xjenza Online Liaison Officer, and Prof Cristiana Sebu as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Online.