Dr. Steve Davis’s distinguished research career has spanned 48 years and contributed greatly to the quality of New Zealand’s dairy herd and its production. Currently Senior Researcher at LIC, Dr Davis gained his PhD in “Amino acid metabolism in the mammary gland” from Nottingham University in 1975. Dr Davis has since published over 120 scientific…
Dr. Luke Harrington is significantly advancing our understanding of climate change impacts and adaptations. Most communities do not experience climate change via shifts in the mean climate. It’s more recognised in increasingly intense and frequent weather events, like Cyclone Gabrielle. Dr. Harrington’s work in the field of ‘extreme event attribution’ seeks to quantify whether climate…
Dr. Kiri Joy Wallace is passionate about biodiversity, forest ecosystems, urban ecology, ecological restoration, and reconnecting people and nature. Dr. Wallace is behind the success of multi-city, multi-million dollar projects to revitalise degraded urban forests and reverse the decline of native biodiversity, like the People, Cities and Nature programme led out of the University of…
Kati’s investigations into drought and pest populations will help future-proof our primary industries. New Zealand’s pasture-based agriculture system makes us one of the most competitive producers of food and fibre worldwide. Critical to this success is the relationship between ryegrass and fungal endophytes which deter insect pests such as root aphid, African black beetle, grass…
Dr Swati Jivanji is unlocking genetic secrets to help improve the health and performance of valued livestock. White face markings are considered a dominant genetic trait in Hereford cattle and a clear sign of Hereford parentage. However, Swati showed that epistasis – the influence of other genes – could break the rule, producing dappled faces…
The AgResearch Cattle Urine Sensor Team has developed a device to inform strategies for reducing nitrogen leaching from cow urine patches. Nitrogen loss from livestock urine is a major environmental concern in New Zealand, and frequently subject to regulation. Dr Paul Shorten (an expert in modelling biological processes) and Dr Brendon Welten (who researches nutrient…
NIWA’s Māori Environmental Research team, Te Kūwaha o Taihoro Nukurangi, helps Māori communities access the latest scientific tools to manage natural resources while respecting their unique knowledge systems. Te Kūwaha has worked collaboratively with iwi, hapu and councils to incorporate mātauranga into a number of catchment restoration programmes including strategies for the Waipa Catchment, Lake…
Waikato Regional Council’s State of Environment 2022 Team, led by Thomas Wilding, has produced a vital reference for future management of the region’s air, land and water. The State of Environment Report 2022 collects, analyses and interprets over two decades of environmental data, integrating information from over 25 peer-reviewed publications by Waikato Regional Council scientists…
LIC’s Variant Discovery Team is giving farmers new options for selecting healthier, higher-performance dairy animals and raising the bar in genetics research. LIC’s Variant Discovery Team has discovered over 20 genetic variants which cause disease or impact fertility, milk yield, or growth and developmental traits in dairy animals. Finding one variant is a significant achievement,…
Dr. Manar Khashram’s dedication to vascular surgery and research is enhancing the management of aortic and vascular disease. Widely published, Dr. Khasham’s research includes a groundbreaking Metformin Aneurysm Trial, an investigation of genetic aspects of thoracic aortic diseases in Māori and Pacific Island communities, and validation of two decades-worth of New Zealand data on the…