Thumbi (Co-PI, collaboration with Dr. Loice Ombajo) 10/2022– 10/2027 (Funding: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
Project Title: Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis Phase 2 Incubation.
Thumbi (PI, collaboration with Dr. Kavosa Mudoga) 12/2022– 02/2023 (Funding: Action for Protection of Animals Africa, Kenya)
Project Title: Kajiado North Rabies Vaccination.
Thumbi (Co-PI, collaboration with Drs. Katie Hampson, Mary Miranda, Kennedy Lushasi, Jonathan Berry) 11/2022– 11/2027 (Funding: University of Glasgow, UK)
Project Title: Data-driven Approaches for Rabies Elimination.
Thumbi (PI) 11/2021– 11/2024 (Funding: University of Oxford, UK)
Project Title: NTD Modelling Consortium: Informing Program Decision-making.
Thumbi (Co-PI, collaboration with Dr. Marcel Müller) 05/2021– 05/2024 (Funding: Charite University, Germany)
Project Title: Identification of factors influencing zoonotic transmission of MERS-Coronavirus in Kenya.
Thumbi (Co-PI, collaboration with Drs Loice Ombajo-UoN and Shikoh Gitau-Qhala limited) 05/2020 – 05/2022 (Funding: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
Project Title: Kenya Data for Health: optimizing COVID-19 responses through data.
Summary: This project is focused on infectious disease modelling for COVID-19 in Kenya to inform government responses to the disease in Kenya, data analysis and monitoring of non-COVID-19 health metrics to understand and estimate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health, and the analysis and visualization of health data to aid in decision making in Kenya.
Thumbi (PI, collaboration with Profs. Julius Oyugi and George Warimwe) 08/2020– 01/2021 (Funding: University of Edinburgh, UK)
Project Title: Enhancing Kenya's preparedness against infectious diseases: community health unit and the integrated diseases surveillance and response.
Thumbi (Co-PI, collaboration with Prof. James Nokes) 05/2020– 03/2021 (Funding: KEMRI- Wellcome Trust Research Programme)
Project Title: Application of Genomics and Modelling to the Control of Virus Pathogens (GEMVI).
Thumbi (Co-PI, collaboration with Drs Caroline Trotter and Andrew Conlan, University of Cambridge) 06/2019– 09/2021 (Funding: EPSRC – UK Global Challenges Research Fund)
Project Title: Mathematical Modelling for Infectious Disease Dynamics and Control in East Africa.
Summary: This project aims to build capacity in mathematical modelling of infectious diseases in East Africa in order to tackle development challenges related to public health in the region. By establishing strong collaboration with researchers at the University of Cambridge using mathematics for the control of infectious diseases, project is establishing an infectious disease modelling hub at the University of Nairobi that provides evidence-based support in public health policy formulation including the control and elimination of the priority emerging, re-emerging and zoonotic diseases.
Thumbi (PI, collaboration with FAO-Kenya and UNICEF-Kenya) 11/2019 – 04/2021 (Funding: USAID-OFDA and FAO-UN)
Project Title: Livestock programming for nutritional improvements in children under five years of age in Marsabit County, Kenya.
Summary: The project is a cluster randomized control trial testing the impact of livestock interventions on milk production, household food consumption and risk of malnutrition in children and women in livestock-dependent pastoralist community in Marsabit Kenya.
Thumbi (PI, mentorship from Professors Katie Hampson and Sarah Cleaveland, University of Glasgow) 04/2016 – 03/2019 (Funding: Wellcome Trust Foundation 10330/Z/15/Z)
Project Title: Applying Epidemiological Techniques to raise the visibility of Neglected Infectious Diseases: the case of Rabies Elimination in Kenya.
Summary: The project estimates the dual burden of rabies in humans and animals in Kenya, estimates the demographic and ecological parameters relating to dog populations in Kenya that underlie patterns of rabies transmission and develops strategies for rabies control and assessment of their impact in reducing rabies incidence, their cost-effectiveness and projected time horizon to elimination.
Thumbi (co-I, collaboration with Prof Jim Wright – University of Southampton, Okotto-Okotto – VIRED, Dr Diogo Gomes Da Silva – University of Brighton) 04/2017 – 03/2019 (UK Medical Research Council MR/P024920/1)
Project Title: Drinking water under a "One Health" lens: quantifying microbial contamination pathways between livestock and drinking water
Summary: This MRC Global Challenge Research Fund project is developing and validating livestock-related hazard assessment protocols and use of microbial source tracking methods to investigate drinking water contamination by livestock and its implications to human health.
Thumbi (PI) 01/2017 – 12/2017 (WHO and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance 2017/694169-0)
Project Title: Burden and Surveillance for Rabies Burden in Siaya.
Summary: The project generates high quality data on burden of rabies, quantify the risk factors for health care seeking, Post-exposure Prophylaxis compliance and rabies deaths in Siaya County in Western Kenya. The data and results from this analysis is to inform the GAVI 2018 Investment strategy that will determine if the rabies vaccines will be subsidized in cost together with the other GAVI supported vaccines.