Malta is a southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea 80 km south of Sicily and 333 km north of Libya. Malta covers just over 316 km², making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries.

The PhD is a doctoral degree, specifically called a "doctor of philosophy" degree. This is misleading because PhD holders are not necessarily philosophers (unless they earned their degree in philosophy!). That said, PhD recipients are able to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways.