Funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Open Society Foundations, his dissertation examines how household wealth and economic fulfillment shape well-being outcomes among older Cambodians. Through analyzing primary data collected from 220 rural-dwelling older adults, his research sheds light on the complex socioeconomic factors influencing aging in post-conflict and resource-constrained communities.

Born and raised in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kakada earned dual undergraduate degrees in Social Work (2014) and Education (2015) from the Royal University of Phnom Penh. He engaged in community-based research and advocacy through internships with Cambodian nonprofits. In 2015, he was honored to receive a full scholarship from the Open Society Foundations to pursue my Master of Social Work at Washington University’s Brown School, where he focused on aging societies and the needs of older adults. He defended and passed his dissertation defense in December 2024.