A team of researchers from Penn State University and Warwick University has been awarded $1.6 million through the Belmont Forum’s Collaborative Research Action project, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The international project, led by Penn State, will investigate how building design, infrastructure, and development decisions can help reduce malaria risk globally.
The research team includes four Penn State faculty members: Esther Obonyo, lead investigator and professor of engineering design and architectural engineering; Ida Djenontin, assistant professor of geography; James Mutunga, assistant professor of biology at Penn State Harrisburg; and Supraja Sudharsan, assistant teaching professor in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation. Obonyo and Djenontin are also affiliated with Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment.
The project is transdisciplinary and developed from a practical challenge faced in Sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers aim to design homes that prevent mosquitoes from entering while maintaining natural ventilation and heat management, particularly in areas that rely on wood fuel systems for cooking. This approach seeks to balance effective malaria prevention with healthy and sustainable living conditions.
