Peter Macharia

Peter graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Geomatic Engineering and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in 2014. He joined Malaria Public Health and Epidemiology Group at KEMRI Wellcome Trust (KWTRP) in 2015 on a studentship to pursue a PgDiP in Health Research Methods of Pwani University. He assembled health facility databases for African countries and modelled healthcare spatial access in South Sudan. He transitioned to an assistant research officer involved in defining malaria transmission limits, mapping malaria risk and control activities at sub-national levels.
In his MSc Thesis, (GIS and Remote Sensing) at JKUAT, he developed a novel long-lasting insecticidal nets need quantification approach for health facilities in the routine distribution system to safeguard stock-outs observed in clinics. He highlighted areas with either more or fewer bed nets than needed and approaches to reduce such mis-allocations.  
Currently, he is PhD Student at the Open University, UK in collaboration with KWTRP after, winning a PhD studentship under the Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders - IDeAL.  His PhD focuses on modelling spatial and temporal variation of under-five mortality (U5M) at sub-national levels over the last three decades in Kenya. Additionally, assessing the contribution of malaria and other spatial, social and environmental determinants of child survival to U5M. This will allow bench-marking of trends in U5M and its determinants sub-nationally for the realisation of SDGs and informing policies to improve child survival. Peter continually supports the LINK as a geospatial modeller.