Researcher Spotlight : Putthi Cheat Lim
Published: 14 June 2018
Kirsty McWhinnie catches up with Putthi Cheat Lim for this Spotlight article. Putthi is a 3rd year PhD student studying canine rabies vaccination campaigns in Tanzania...
This week, Kirsty McWhinnie has put Putthi Cheat Lim under the spotlight. Putthi is a 3rd year PhD student studying canine rabies vaccination campaigns in Tanzania as part of an interdisciplinary project under the supervision of Professor Sayantan Ghosal, Dr. Katie Hampson and Dr. Tiziana Lembo.
Can you tell us about your background?
I graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BSc in Economics in 2013 and from the University of Bristol with an MSc in Economics in 2014. Before coming to Glasgow in 2015, I worked in the Ministry of Commerce in Cambodia. My interest in my current project stems from my general interest in applied economics, which allows me to use basic economic theory to understand
What can you tell us about your PhD project?
My PhD project is an interdisciplinary project that uses applied and behavioural economic theory to design policies that can help increase participation in rabies vaccination campaigns. My PhD project is funded by the LKAS scholarship and the field research itself is also funded by the SFC GCRF Small Grant.
What is the focus of your research?
The main aim of my research is to design cost-effective interventions to increase participation in canine rabies vaccination campaigns in rural Tanzania. The project started with basic theoretical modelling of voluntary participation in public good production (vaccination campaigns), which helped us to understand the underlying problems behind low participation in vaccination campaigns and to design interventions to deal with these problems. From this theoretical study, we designed a field experiment which tests the use of mobile phone text messaging and religious and tribal leaders in advertising about vaccination campaigns.
Why did you decide to do your PhD in IBACHM/UofG?
The research area was completely new to me and I felt it was a great opportunity to learn something new and to gain additional experience through field work and through working with people from different areas of expertise.
What do you find most interesting about your work?
The most interesting part of this work is being in the field, working with the people who can potentially benefit from the research project and to learn more about their livelihoods.
What has been the most positive aspect so far?
The most positive aspect so far is the amazing support that I received from my supervisors, colleagues and friends.
What has been the most challenging aspect so far?
The most challenging aspect of this work is the interdisciplinary aspect of it. Although rewarding, it is also challenging to learn so many new things at the same time.
What advice would you give to anyone doing or considering PhD?
Get some practical experience and find what your real interests before starting your PhD. Make sure you learn to communicate well with your colleagues.
Tell us about your plans for the future
After finishing this project, I hope to continue to work on the application of economic theory in solving issues related to disease control and possibly others too.
First published: 14 June 2018