Founding Chair Brian Azzopardi Recognised Among World’s Top 2% Scientists
Prof. Dr Inġ. Brian Azzopardi has been included in both the career-long and single-year categories of the 2026 Stanford/Elsevier database of the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists.
The Foundation for Innovation and Research – Malta (FiR.mt) is pleased to acknowledge the inclusion of its Founding Chair and Principal Investigator, Prof. Dr Inġ. Brian Azzopardi, in the 2026 edition of the Updated Science-Wide Author Databases of Standardized Citation Indicators, commonly known as the Stanford/Elsevier World’s Top 2% Scientists database.
The recognition covers both career-long scientific impact and citations received during 2025, highlighting the contribution of his research to the international scientific literature.
Recognising Research Impact
The database, prepared by John P. A. Ioannidis and published through Elsevier using Scopus bibliometric data, evaluates researchers across scientific disciplines using standardised citation indicators, including citation counts, research impact indices, and authorship-adjusted metrics.
Prof. Dr Inġ. Azzopardi is classified within the Energy research subfield. His research spans photovoltaic technologies and reliability, renewable energy integration, electricity distribution networks, smart grids, electric mobility and sustainable energy systems.
His contributions have developed through collaborations involving academic institutions, research organisations, industry partners and international research consortia.
Research Collaboration and Capacity Building
As Founding Chair and Principal Investigator at FiR.mt, Prof. Dr Inġ. Azzopardi contributes to the development and coordination of national and European research initiatives, including projects supporting photovoltaic reliability, sustainable mobility, energy systems and research capacity building.
Through initiatives such as PROMISE, TRANSIT and GIANTS, alongside the development of research Living Laboratories in Malta, FiR.mt works with international partners to connect scientific knowledge with practical applications, training and evidence-based innovation.
Prof. Dr Inġ. Azzopardi also holds a Full Professor appointment at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) and serves as a Visiting Senior Academic at the University of Malta.
A Collective Contribution to Research
Scientific research develops through the contributions of colleagues, students, mentors, technical specialists and collaborating institutions. This recognition provides an opportunity to acknowledge the many people and organisations involved in advancing research over the years.
FiR.mt extends its appreciation to the national and international research community whose collaboration and continued engagement support the development of impactful research from Malta.
FiR.mt remains committed to strengthening Malta’s research capacity, supporting emerging researchers and advancing scientific cooperation across Europe and the Mediterranean.
About the 2026 Database
The 2026 edition of the Stanford/Elsevier science-wide author database was published on 7 October 2026, drawing on Scopus citation data covering research impact through 2025.
The database uses standardised citation indicators to assess scientific impact across research disciplines..
Official reference:
Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2026). August 2026 data-update for Updated Science-Wide Author Databases of Standardized Citation Indicators. Elsevier Data Repository, Version 9.