Dr Nanda Kaji Budhathoki
Research Fellow
Qualifications:
PhD in Agriculture and Environmental and Economics, Charles Darwin University, 2020; Master’s in health economics, Policy, and Analysis (50 Credits courses completed), University of Oslo, 2010; Master’s in Development and Resources economics, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), 2009; Master’s in Economics, Tribhuvan University, 2003
Approved level of HDR supervision at Charles Darwin University:
Co-supervision to HDR student
Location:
Alice Springs Office, Northern Territory
Biography:
Nanda is an environmental economist specialising in climate change, disaster risk management, behavioural economics, and private land conservation, focusing on quantitative research approaches. He began working with Menzies in June 2021 as a part-time research and data analyst for the “SP Plus” project before joining the University of Queensland (UQ) in April 2022 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. He contributed to the ARC Linkage project on “Private Land Conservation in a Dynamically Changing and Risky World” at UQ. In January 2025, Nanda returned to Menzies as a research fellow, where his work now focuses on improving workforce retention through evidence-based research, strengthening remote health services and systems through and assessing the cost and health impacts of short-term health staffing in remote Australia.
Before this, Nanda was a researcher at Griffith University and a seasonal lecturer and tutor in statistics and economics at CDU's Business School for nearly five years (2017-2022). In his PhD research, Nanda examined the socio-economic impacts of extreme weather events (EWEs) on farming households in Nepal. With over eight years of experience in research, he has designed and managed multiple projects, developed and implemented research tools, and conducted statistical and econometric data analysis. His areas of interest include climate change, health and environmental impact evaluation, and disaster risk management.
Research Themes
- Primary health care and health systems research
- Strengthening Health Systems in Remote Australia
- Indigenous health
- Funding of remote health services
- Climate change
- CRE for Strengthening Health Systems in Remote Australia (CRESTRA)
- The cost and health impact of short-term health staffing in remote and rural Indigenous communities: Does community control make a difference?
- Co-design and Implementation of Workforce Retention Strategies in Remote Aboriginal Health Services
- Ralph, A.P., Kelly, A., Lee, A.-M., Mungatopi, V.L., Babui, S.R., Budhathoki, N.K., Wade, V., Dassel, J.L.d., & Wyber, R. (2022). Evaluation of a Community-Led Program for Primordial and Primary Prevention of Rheumatic Fever in Remote Northern Australia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 10215.
- Budhathoki, N.K., Paton, D., Lassa, J.A., Bhatta, G.D., & Zander, K. K. (2020). Heat, cold, and floods: exploring farmers’ motivations to adapt to extreme weather events in the Terai region of Nepal. Natural Hazards
- Budhathoki, N.K., Paton, D., Lassa, J. A., & Zander, K. K. (2020). Assessing farmers’ preparedness to cope with the impacts of multiple climate change-related hazards in the Terai lowlands of Nepal. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 49.
- Budhathoki, N. K., & Zander, K. K. (2019). Nepalese farmers’ climate change perceptions, reality and farming strategies. Climate and Development, 1-12.
- Budhathoki, N. K., Lassa, J. A., Pun, S., & Zander, K. K. (2019). Farmers’ interest and willingness-to-pay for index-based crop insurance in the lowlands of Nepal. Land Use Policy, 85, 1-10.
- Budhathoki, N. K., & Zander, K. K. (2019). Socio-Economic Impact of and Adaptation to Extreme Heat and Cold of Farmers in the Food Bowl of Nepal. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(9), 1578.
- Shah, G. M., Khadka, M. S., Ahmad, F., Budhathoki, N.K, & Shrestha, A. J. (2017). Assessment of Himalayan Nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) value chain development interventions: evidence from rural households in the far western Nepal. Journal of Agricultural Science, 9(5), 19.
- Budhathoki, N.K., & Bhatta, G. D. (2016). Adoption of improved rice varieties in Nepal: impact on household wellbeing. Agricultural Research, 5(4), 420-432.
- Budhathoki, N.K., & Bhatta, G. D. (2015). Relative impact of climate change on land value across agro-ecological regimes in Nepal. Economic Journal of Nepal, 35(2).
- Budhathoki, N.K. (2010). Micro credit and women empowerment in the rural areas of Nepal. Economic Journal of Nepal, 33(4), 288-307