Kesang Wangchuk, Bhutan

Curriculum Vitae

Kesang Wangchuk holds a PhD degree from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). Currently he works as a Principal Research Officer at the Department of Livestock under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Bhutan. His main responsibilities are to conduct research on livestock in Bhutan in order to increase the production and to improve the livelihood of farmers. Furthermore he develops capacity and research skills of researchers in this field, and he provides policy recommendations to the government. Kesang has more than 18 years of research experience in Bhutan. Currently he is a post-doc researcher at BOKU within the Ernst Mach Follow-up grant.

Reflection

The scholarship made me competent as a researcher. I became more confident, I was able to make meaningful decisions in life and I could provide good advice to my colleagues in my country. After my studies at BOKU I focussed more on scientific research. My acquired analytical skills were useful in preparing better arguments based on scientific evidence. Furthermore I was able to publish several papers in international journals. The obtained knowledge was also beneficial in training and guiding researchers in Bhutan. Interactions with students from different countries and cultural backgrounds were interesting. Also taking part in excursions organized by OeAD was important as it exposed us to new things that were not taught at the universities. The visits to the countryside were helpful to learn more about the rural life of Austria.