Dr Jevon Vella recently returned from Italy where he successfully defended his research thesis: Il Ruolo degli Artigiani nel Restauro Architettonico (The role of craftsmen in architectural conservation) at the Faculty of Architecture at Rome’s La Sapienza University. The doctoral thesis investigates links between common methodologies in training standards for vocational education and employment requirements of the conservation industry in Europe.

Dr Vella is a warranted architect and civil engineer by profession, and a conservation architect by training. He first obtained a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Architecture from the University of Malta in 1997, and having won a scholarship offered by the Italian government, went on to specialise in architectural conservation, graduating in 2002 as Specialista in restauro dei monumenti at La

Sapienza.

He recently took up the post of manager, capital projects at the Conservation Division of Heritage Malta, and is the outgoing senior conservator at the Architectural Conservation Department and course co-ordinator of the vocational programme in Masonry Heritage Skills. Besides duties relating to the management of capital conservation projects, Dr Vella currently lectures at both academic and vocational levels at the Institute for Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage of the national agency.

He is also chairperson of Docomomo Malta, the local working party of the international organisation for the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement.