Stefano Moncada was born in Rome (Italy) in 1976. He has been working since November 2008 with the University of Malta, where he lectures and conducts research in the areas of development economics, climate change, island studies, and sustainable development. He graduated in Development Economics from the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ (First Class) and completed a Master of Arts in European Studies at the University of Malta in 2005. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Malta in 2016 focusing on the links between development and climate change adaptation, especially on the impacts of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) on health and adaptive capacity in the Least Developed Country (LDC) of Ethiopia. As part of his research he developed a new impact evaluation assessment that makes use of participatory qualitative research and quantitative (quasi-experimental) techniques. Stefano’s recent research activities include economic and health assessments, in the face of climate change, of communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Prior to join academia, Stefano worked in the Italian Parliament as manager and economic policy analyst, in the field of development economics, health economics applied to low-income countries, and environment. He also worked as a consultant in several development projects based in Albania, Mexico, Mali and Ethiopia, mainly in relation to socio-economic, health, and environmental funded activities. He has worked with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) as senior research officer, where he was in charge of a research project funded by the EU commission dealing with sustainability and land use change, including the development of impact assessment tools.

Stefano is Director of the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta, and part of the Executive Committee of the European Association of Development and Training Institutes (EADI), of the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC), and acts as expert reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is active in numerous outreach and knowledge-transfer initiatives, including training courses and consultation sessions for public, private, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).