Jolene is a software developer who works as part of our IT development team on our breeding software Dtreo. Jolene holds a Bachelor of Education in Mathematics and Human Movement Science and after a teaching career pursued a Bachelor of Science in IT whereafter she started her software development career. Jolene likes to make other …
Matt Newman, joined AbacusBio in 2023. Matt is a Senior Economist with vast agricultural production experience and affinity with New Zealand livestock sectors. Over the last 25 years Matt has developed and led Economic teams for Beef+Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ and MPI. Matt specialises in farm systems analysis, benchmarking, forecasting and environmental impact assessments. Before …
Doug is a Quantitative Genetics consultant and works with clients to help solve a wide range of genetic questions. This could be anything from building a genetic selection index, helping direct an elite or commercial breeding program, modelling specific investment or genetic scenarios, developing strategies around crossbreeding and inbreeding avoidance, or development of software, data …
Thiago is a highly skilled and accomplished statistician with over eight years of experience in experimental statistics and statistical modelling. He holds a PhD in Statistics from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and during his PhD studies, he gained expertise in statistical modelling in agricultural data while working as a visiting scholar at the …
As a veterinarian with a genetics PhD, Ee Cheng works across a wide variety of animal projects. A typical day for her might include building genetic evaluations for health and fertility traits, modelling changes to farm systems, or working with clients to help them get value out of their data. One of her favourite projects …
Driven by a passion to do more with less, Mason enjoys breaking down resource bottlenecks in breeding programs through pipeline development. His software-driven approach draws from applied field experience in plant breeding programs ranging from inbred seed crops to clonally propagated perennials. As a proponent of the ‘art of plant breeding’, Mason seeks to complement …
Marcio is a plant breeder specialized in design of breeding strategies, quantitative data analysis, and project management in plant breeding programs. He is passionate about science and technology and aways aiming to see the practical application of his work. Marcio believes that “in the business world, science without practical application is a dormant science”. Marcio …
Caeli discovered her passion for agriculture while working on a dairy farm in Canada. She broadened her practical experience on a local swine and cash crop operation before gaining a global perspective of on-farm challenges. Incorporating practical experience into her theoretical training allows Caeli to create innovative solutions to multifaceted problems. She brings tremendous passion and positive …
Martin has an extensive background in corporate agriculture providing support to farms, from small to large businesses. Martin was responsible for implementing robust practices and systems to ensure high physical and financial performance and supporting managers and farm staff. Martin has been involved in managing several large farm development projects, a livestock trading farm and …
Simone is part of AbacusBio’s UK team of consultants, with a background in animal breeding and quantitative genetics. Simone brings to AbacusBio his experience in genetic and genomic evaluations of cattle, as well as his enthusiasm for delivering efficient selection tools to a worldwide network of customers. Within AbacusBio Simone works mainly on the revision, …
David is an Animal Breeder Consultant who focuses on a variety of aspects associated with genetic improvement in livestock production. This primarily involves modelling the effects and implications of animal breeding programs. Moreover, David possesses an in-depth knowledge of genetic and genomic analyses, including variance component and breeding value estimation. David takes pride in contributing …
Megan Vasko is a consultant at AbacusBio known for her adaptability, tenacity, and passion for digital whiteboard sessions. She’s primarily focused on programme management, namely AbacusBio’s largest collaboration to date, Bayer Crop Science. In her day to day, she takes the guesswork out of who is doing what, next. She keeps projects on track …
Anouk Schurink joined AbacusBio with her applied mindset and strong experience in horse breeding, quantitative genetics, genomic analyses, and genetic diversity. Born and raised on the countryside in the east of the Netherlands, Anouk got intrigued by Mendel’s Law in high school when attempting an assignment about the inheritance of flower colours. After obtaining a …
Tom’s background in finance, economics, and statistics provide a unique perspective on which clients can tap to understand insights about the trade-offs and economic issues facing the agricultural and food systems industries. Tom joined AbacusBio in 2014, firstly as an intern and then later as a consultant based in Edinburgh. His commerce background and ability …
Letícia joined us in our Edinburgh office as a consultant, bringing with her a highly specialised skillset in genetics and plant breeding. Originally from Brazil, Letícia gained a Bachelor and a Master’s degree from the Federal University of Lavras. She moved on to complete a PhD at the University of São Paulo. Her PhD looked at …
Kathryn Grant joined us in 2020 – based at our Edinburgh office. Originally from Oxford in the UK, she brings to us her strong experience in cereal crop genetics. Whilst a biology major during her undergraduate years at the University of Oxford, she became interested in food security after attending a few lectures throughout her …
Chris joined AbacusBio in July 2021 with his strong experience in plant biochemistry and statistics. He possess a wide range of skills from bioinformatics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to greenhouse and growth room work. Originally from Wirral in the UK, Chris takes pride in his approachable nature and natural ability to communicate complex scientific …
John Crowley is the managing director of AbacusBio Canada, a subsidiary office established in 2023 in Alberta. He has a PhD in statistical genetics and over 15 years of experience in breeding and genetics, agri-business and data analytics initiatives. John is passionate about delivering innovative and practical solutions that enhance the genetic potential, profitability, and …
Ireti is an applied plant and animal breeding consultant, supporting breeding program design and implementation. Her work on breeding program development includes quantifying plant and animal traits in economic terms and prioritizing traits to improve. Ireti is proud of her work applying new and advanced tools to assess cassava trait improvement preferences of farmers. In …
Luna specialises in building mathematically-driven models, conducting analysis and producing visual reports for delivering insights for breeding, whether it is livestock or plant. Luna is passionate in transferring data into business insights. She has a fierce passion for communicating data to different audience groups using personalised visuals and storytelling techniques. Originally from China and having …
Born and raised in Poland, Kat joined AbacusBio in 2013 and is an expert on animal breeding and genetics with special interest in genetic variability and the long term consequences of selection. Her experience in the genetic evaluation of sheep and cattle, variance components estimation, economic selection indexes and the identification of key ancestors for …
Cheryl specialises in breeding programs around the world. She enjoys teamwork and thrives in a collaborative environment, engaging closely with colleagues and clients to develop solutions and tools in quantitative genetics, breeding programs, and selection indexes for a wide range of species. Her work includes sheep, beef, dairy, fish, poultry, and crops species. Cheryl joined …
Luke specialises in the implementation of on-farm research projects. His past experience on a variety of science and research projects has given him a broad understanding of scientific processes and how they relate to the agricultural industry. His role at AbacusBio includes working with sheep and cattle breeders on the application of DNA tests and …
Madeleine joined us in May 2021, to extend our growing expertise in plant biotechnology. She recently finished a Master’s degree, looking at the biochemical and physiological effects of microplastic and phenanthrene toxicity (using marine macroalgae as a model). Originally from Hamburg, Madeleine spent a large portion of her childhood both in Europe and the Bay of …
Nadia joined AbacusBio in 2013 and specialises in the implementation of on-farm research projects, such as the Hill Central Progeny Test. Nadia’s focus is on lifting productivity behind the farm gate. Her background includes working with sheep breeders on the research and development of DNA tests and SNP technology and the logistical implementation of meat …
Shalini is a Consultant Project Manager and she manages several projects – both external and internal. For our client-facing jobs, Shalini’s primary responsibility is to ensure the smooth running of the project, within the agreed budget and timeline. She does this by being involved in the projects from the start to understand the client needs …
Loame first came to AbacusBio as an intern, while pursuing a genetics degree at the University of Otago. She is highly driven and brings her creative, pragmatic mindset towards her work at AbacusBio. At AbacusBio, she is involved in several projects looking at the development of practical packages to support the development of new plant products, …
The opportunities presented to Natalie while growing up on-farm in the sheep, beef, and dairy industries, is what motivates Natalie to deliver impact to the agricultural sector. With an affable personality and grassroots core, Natalie works closely with clients to strategically apply scientific principles that deliver commercially relevant solutions. While based in AbacusBio’s Dunedin office, …
Jamie first joined us as an intern in 2020 after finishing a Bachelor of Information Technology from Otago Polytechnic. During his internship, he re-designed the user experience for Gemnetics’ suite of breeding software products. Born and bred in Mosgiel, Jamie has a strong eye for detail and developed a strong passion for building websites and …
Sam is an all-rounded agricultural expert. He brings to you his deep technical expertise in livestock breeding, genetics, and production. Having gained an MBA from Deakin University in Australia, he also possesses a strong skillset in corporate agricultural management and economic analysis. Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Sam offers practicality and versatility in his quest to …
Martyn joined AbacusBio in 2019 as a software developer and brings to us his deep experience in IT and coding. Originally from Pukekohe in New Zealand, his varied roles across the country has led him to pursue a DipGrad in IT at the University of Otago. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Studies in …
Mark is an IT manager and a consultant with a remarkable track record. With over 14 years of commercial experience in New Zealand and London, across the health, energy, banking, and agri-tech sectors, Mark is naturally the go-to expert for advising clients on leveraging IT to meet their business needs. Mark joined AbacusBio in 2012, …
Bruno focuses on promoting and disseminating breeding strategies to increase efficiency and sustainability in livestock and plant production. Bruno has a global understanding of the agricultural sector, combined with his expertise in development of breeding objectives, and practical application of genetic improvement principles. His approach is to deliver expertise with passion, customer centric focus and …
Neville joined AbacusBio in 2001, coming from an extensive practical and applied science background in New Zealand and European agricultural science and agribusiness. He has developed a variety of technological innovations in the areas of imaging technology, measurement of carcasses and meat cuts in live animals using CT and ultrasound scanning, as well as genetic …
Fiona is a logical thinker and a great problem solver. You will find that she has a good listening ear and is able to successfully help you piece the puzzles together to resolve challenges and meet your data needs. Fiona specialises in the design and simulation of breeding programs and optimisation, bringing to clients her …
Simon is a practical person full of ideas and the passion to work with farmers. As a farm consultant at AbacusBio, Simon finds great satisfaction in advising and helping farmers succeed in making their farm systems more practical and efficient. Drawing on his science-based skills and practical experience, Simon’s own mixed system farming background has …
Peter is constantly curious, which may explain why he loves science so much. He loves digging into a problem and whilst he is technically very capable, he also looks at the world with a glint in his entrepreneur’s eye. Peter is a champion of science being practical and understanding the science and the commercial landscape …
Tim has over 15 years of experience as an applied scientist and a consultant. His work mantra is simple: good scientists need to deliver impact, not just solutions. A broad thinker and an in-depth leader, Tim can help you identify investment and technology opportunities and successfully integrate them into businesses to thrive. He currently heads …
Jude is an accomplished problem-solver with ideas and she has the tenacity to bring them to life. Her analytical mind, excellent attention to detail, and commercial acumen make her an outstanding consultant at AbacusBio. Jude specialises in genetics, modelling, and software development. She is also skilled in communicating complex information clearly, which streamlines and enhances …
Peter is a world-class scientist, renowned for his multi-faceted approach to designing and developing effective breeding programs. He has a talent for creating practical innovative solutions that apply to a range of complex issues, whether it be technical, commercial, or political. It is not surprising that his problem-solving capabilities are widely sought around the world. …
