Robert Ghirlando graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal University of Malta in 1968. He continued his studies at the University of Liverpool where he obtained an M.Eng. in Power Plants and Related Studies in 1969 and a Ph.D. 1974. His doctoral thesis was on "The Radial Movement of Air in a Bowl-in-Piston Engine Near the End of Compression." The work was sponsored by the Ford Dagenham Trust. On his return from the Uk in March of 1974, he joined General Instruments (Malta) Ltd as Projects Engineer, was promoted to Design Engineer and finally to Chief Industrial Engineer. His next appointment, in March of 1979, was with Dowty (Malta) Ltd as Chief Production Engineer. He left this company to join two Maltese-Czechoslovak joint ventures, Hydraulic Units Ltd and /Engineers' Instruments Ltd, as Senior Technical Manager Designate on the 1st January 1981, being promoted to General Manager in September of the same year. In June of 1984, he left to become Managing Director of Mekanika Ltd (part of the Gasan Group). He joined the University of Malta as Senoir Lecturer in February of 1987. He is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Manufacturing Engineeing, where he runs the Engineering Design course for third-year students following the Mechanical Engineering stream of the BEng degree. During his term at University, he has also held the posts of Chairman of Hydraulic Units Ltd and Engineers' Instruments Ltd. (3/8/87 - 10/5/89) and Director of Metalfond Ltd. (12/10/87 - 31/12/88), Director of Enemalta Corporation (6/5/95 - 6/5/96) and Chairman of Enemalta Coporation (6/5/96 - 1/1/97). Since February of 1989, he has served as the Managing Director of Malta University Services Ltd and since 1995 as Director of Malta University Publishers Ltd. He is also a member of the University’s Editorial Board.

He has served on various committees including the Chamber of Professional Engineers, in various official capacities, including that of President, as President of the Malta Federation of Professional Bodies, on the Malta Council for Science and Technology and Malta's National Monitoring Committee for FEANI, amonst others. He has on various occasions represented Maltese engineers at FEANI meetings.

He has published and presented a number of papers both in Malta and elsewhere on technical topics as well as on matters related to the engineering profession. His academic interests include engineering design, especially the teaching of engineering design, energy and the environment, as well as internal combustion engines, and university-industry links.