Meet the team
The work done at Sharklab-Malta would not be possible without our incredible team of volunteers.
I'm Greg Nowell, founder of Sharklab-Malta, and the head of our organisation.
I take on the bulk of administrative and planning work and invest most of my “free”-time in the organisation.
People tell me that my endless passion, and knowledge of sharks infects other people to join our efforts and promotes Sharklab-Malta’s international and national cooperation.
Come and join us!
I am Pam Mason (married to Dave) and I am the Education Officer for Sharklab-Malta.
I am retired from paid work. Whilst working, I changed direction many times but never thought I would be a SHARK person, but there it is!
I teach dissections to interns and SOK students and am proud to report that since we started working with students, we have not had any damaged students (they all have the requisite number of fingers!). I have helped many interns to produce fabulous exhibits for our presentations.
I regularly work on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education programme at primary and middle schools at their TINY TEEN SCIENCE CAFÉS & TEEN SCIENCE CAFÉS.
I am a scuba diver; teacher; caterer; mother; grandmother.
I am Rachel Doyle, the Scientific Officer here at Sharklab-Malta. I've always been fascinated by the ocean. After finishing my BSc in Earth & Ocean Science in Ireland, I came to Malta in 2012 to work with rescued turtles and discovered Sharklab-Malta. I fell in love with both turtles and sharks and wanted to do more for them. I then returned to university to complete a Masters in Marine Biodiversity in Scotland.
Being in the ocean is one of the best feelings. Since I discovered scuba diving I have tried to get everyone to try it. I love learning new things about our oceans and helping to educate people about it. My favourite quote from Dr Sylvia Earle, fellow marine conservationist, says it all; "They may not care even if they know, but they can't care if they are unaware". In my role as Scientific Officer I hope to continue educating about how great sharks and all elasmobranches are.
I am Nick Pace and I'm the secretary of Sharklab Malta. My role is to deal with general questions and emails and to redirect them to the most suitable person within the organisation.
In a previous life I was a consultant anaesthetist and clinical director with responsibilities in a number of hospitals in Glasgow, Scotland. I also have worked in Wales, Dallas and Riyadh, where I learnt to dive in 1987. I returned to Malta in 2021, having left in 1978, and started volunteering with organisations such as Nature Trust, where I help with turtle rehabilitation and beach monitoring, Zibel (beach cleaning) and Din l'Art Helwa (more cleaning).
I've always been interested in the sea and last year I was recertified as a diver after a gap of 33 years (cold Scottish waters weren't as appealing as the warm waters of the Med.). My greatest disappointment is that majority of the volunteers in the above NGOs are young and non-Maltese. My drive is to increase Maltese participation.
I am Phil Reitti. I am the finance secretary for Sharklab-Malta.
I am Kalean Borg, the shark adoption coordinator of Sharklab-Malta. Initially, I was an SOK student doing the project with Sharklab-Malta. However the passion and the dedication the team has for conservation of elasmobranchs encouraged me to continue participating in various activities hosted by the organisation.
Now I occupy the role of shark adoption coordinator and handle the shark adoption process from the start till the end.
No, it’s not Father Christmas taking his elves for their annual holiday – it’s me, Dave Mason! I am the Sharklab-Malta Membership secretary but I have had another life. I’ve been a medical researcher, road sweeper, University/College lecturer on subjects like human biology, information technology, communication studies, floor cleaning (so the road sweeping did come in handy after all!), computing for the terrified, business process reprogramming (no I didn’t know what it was either until I had to teach it!), a training co-ordinator, an examination writer, a mobile (no, not hanging from the ceiling and looking pretty, but having various roles in a department store to cover for staff shortages) – a varied working life.
I’ve run youth groups, shown scouts on camp how to build bridges, death slides and towers (one time all three in one go – and nobody died!), been involved in many voluntary organisations, underwater clean-ups, turtle watching and others. I like to travel and scuba dive, if possible. If you come on one of the Sharklab-Malta snorkels, I may be your guide.
My name is Alex Buttigieg , better known to all my friends as “The Sharkman”. Why? Well it is because of the love and deep passion that I share for this magnificent creature. I am 63 years old and come from the tiny Mediterranean Island of Malta.
I am a retired Professional Scuba Diving Instructor with a great passion for sharks and marine conservation that started in the early 70’s. Since then I have been collecting as much data as possible about sharks. Having started scuba diving at a very young age, it is no surprise that I would make it my profession.
In 1997 I set up the website “Sharkman’s World” dedicated to the education, conservation and protection of Sharks, and also initialized and spearheaded the campaign for the Great White Shark protection in Malta, a campaign that lasted for two years until September 1999, when the Maltese Government issued Legal Notice (L.N. 161 of 1999) that gave protection to the Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and also the Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus).
I have dived with and studied sharks in many parts of the world including South Africa, Fiji and in Malta. I also take an active part in many international campaigns for shark protection. In 2001 “Sharkman’s World” won the Best Personal Website Award in the Malta Web Awards.
I am Will Lunt, the Digital Communicator for Sharklab-Malta. Having recently graduated from an Integrated Master's in Biology (MBiol) at the University of Oxford, I have always had a passion for all things marine biology. I have undertaken a Master's research project investigating the influence of visual pollution on the navigational mechanisms used by reef fish. As an aspiring research scientist and communicator with an interest in marine organisms, I was keen to redesign the website for Sharklab-Malta to be what it is today.
In my spare time, I am an enthusiastic musician, singing and playing the saxophone in a jazz band at university, and partaking in student musicals.
Meet our interns
Our interns are at the heart of what we do and achieve here at Sharklab-Malta.
March 2021 - August 2021
March 2021 - August 2021
September 2021 - July 2021
March 2021 - August 2021
Read about the experiences of past interns here.
Could this be you?
If you are passionate about sharks and are looking for an internship to support your studies, then Sharklab-Malta may be able to help. We support internships on a 3, 6, 9 and 12 month basis, with you working alongside us on our latest projects and community engagement activities.
Key details:
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This internship is on a voluntary basis. While interns will not need to pay to be an intern, they will need to self-fund travel and accommodation.
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Internships are 3, 6, 9 or 12 months long.
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How to apply: Send an email expressing your interest to info@sharklab-malta.org. We will try to get back to you soon, and look forward to working with you!
