Richmond Silvanus Baye is in the SDPEG PhD program at the University of Vermont (CDAE), where he is part of a transdisciplinary cohort of students interested in bottom-up approach and sustainability. His research interests include food security and safety, renewable energy transition, city action, and sustainable water management. Before starting his PhD, he worked as a researcher at the German Institute Development and Sustainability and as an IT Engineer at Digital Charging Solutions GmbH. He is currently at the Social Ecological Gaming and Simulation as a Researcher on a National Biosecurity project funded by the USDA|NIFA. 

My research is focused on understanding how to address epidemic outbreaks in the agriculture industry, specifically the uptake of preventive measures by livestock farmers. I will also address the moral hazard problem of reporting suspected infected livestock during an outbreak of a transboundary animal disease such as African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth disease. To reduce government expenditure on farmers during an epidemic. I plan to use a mix of survey and serious games in this research.

This work is critical because it will help ensure the sustainability of the food system, protect the livestock industry and allied industries, and reduce the economic cost associated with the control and management of disease outbreaks. Without this research, our major source of protein and income will be at risk of bioterrorism and the introduction of foreign animal diseases in the US, and taxpayers' money will be significantly impacted as the federal government compensates farmers in the event of an outbreak. This work aims to complement food policy in the US farm bills by addressing the potential for perverse incentives in government indemnity and promoting farm biosecurity as a way to reduce both private and public costs."