David's focus is on the NZAGRC international research programme.
Before joining the NZAGRC in 2024, David has been active in research, both as a practising scientist and in science leadership and administration. He comes to us from AgResearch, where he was a Principal Scientist in Animal Nutrition & Physiology at AgResearch and also the Science Objective Champion for Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation.
He completed a PhD in Animal Science from Massey University following an undergraduate BVSc degree from Mexico. After his PhD, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for two years. His doctoral and post-doctoral research involved studies to assess the efficiency of utilisation of amino acids in lactating dairy cows. After returning to New Zealand in 2003 to take on a scientist position with AgResearch, his research focused on different aspects of protein metabolism in pasture-fed ruminants, leading to the development of approaches to quantify aspects of nitrogen partitioning in grazing ruminants. For the last decade, his research focused on understanding the dietary and digestive factors influencing methane production in the rumen. Among many projects, he led research aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in pastoral livestock systems using nutritional approaches, as well as quantifying and predicting methane emissions from ruminants. His research has been published in numerous scientific journals articles, conference presentations and client reports.
