MALTA COUNCIL OF YOUNG SCHOLARS
The Malta Council of Young Scholars is a group of enthusiastic students and early career professionals who are dedicated to advancing the MCF’s mission of using science diplomacy as a bridge to peace in the Middle East. The Malta Council of Young Scholars support the MCF Board of Directors by providing young perspectives, increasing youthful engagement, and exploring funding opportunities. In 2026, the Malta Council of Young Scholars worked to unify public-facing content, establish MCF’s social media presence, and drive donation campaigns. Projects for 2027 include coordinating and hosting student-programming at the Malta conferences, establishing MCF awards for young professionals making an impact in the world of science diplomacy, and fostering a new generation of scientific diplomats.
Our goals:
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Coordinate and support student-programming at each Malta Conference.
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Develop MCF awards for young professionals.
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Increase the involvement of students and early-career professionals in MCF activities.
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Encourage young scholars to become involved in science diplomacy and scientific collaboration.
The Malta Council of Young Scholars (MCYS) Committees work to complete overall goals of the MCYS for the Malta Conferences Foundation (MCF).
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Fundraising Committee
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Identifies funding and grant opportunities that may support MCF conferences, MCYS activities, awards, and other initiatives.
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Membership & Awards Committee
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Supports MCYS membership activities and establishes awards for young scholars and professionals.
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Publicity Committee
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Responsible for all MCF websites, social media accounts, and public facing events to support the MCF Board.
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Executive Committee
Victor Piercey, Ph.D., J.D.
Faculty Advisor
Victor serves as the Faculty Advisor to the Malta Council of Young Scholars and as an Malta Conferences Foundation Board Member. He directly works with the MCYS team to advance the goals of the MCYS and the MCF.
Mikayla Swatscheno
Chair
Mikayla is a first year PhD student in chemistry who met MCF President Zafra Lerman and Vice President Ann Nalley at an American Chemical Society Meeting in 2024 and spearheaded the formation of the Malta Council of Young Scholars. Mikayla got involved with MCF after learning about Zafra’s story and has begun working to establish a broad social media presence for MCF to expand awareness of the MCF family and put together a team of young scholars to support the MCF mission.
Madeleine Chalifoux, Ph.D.
Vice-Chair
Madeleine holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and now works as a research scientist in cell biology. Her keen interest for science communication and social justice led her to join the MCF, where she hopes to encourage more young students and professionals to consider their work through the lens of science diplomacy.
Asadullah Golo
Secretary-Treasurer
Asadullah is a Chemical and Process Engineer with over seven years of experience in scientific community leadership through his time in higher education and commitment to professional scientific societies. Introduced to MCF through his connections within the American Chemical Society to the Malta Council of Young Scholars by Chair Mikayla Swatscheno, Asadullah serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the MCYS and chairs the Fundraising Committee, where he works to identify and seek grant opportunities that support the MCF mission of building bridges across scientific and political boundaries.
Interested in joining our team?
Contact Mikayla at youngscholars@maltaconferencesfoundation.org for more information!