Dr Rhiannon Handcock

Rhiannon joined NZ Animal Evaluation, a subsidiary of DairyNZ, at the start of 2024. She specialises in analysing large data sets to identify methods for improving genetic and breeding outcomes for dairy farmers. 

In her current role, Rhiannon focuses on improving the way bulls and cows are ranked for calving difficulty. This gives farmers the ability to select against bulls that are more likely to cause calving difficulty in their heifers.

“I'm happiest when I'm deep in a big data set,” says Rhiannon. “I like coming up with ways to analyse it better or pulling information out of it so farmers can gain value from the data they routinely collect. I enjoy working at DairyNZ as it has a really big-picture focus on New Zealand dairy farming, and I get to be part of a team of experts who come up with great solutions for the sector.”

Rhiannon has been passionate about science and the dairy sector from an early age. As a teenager she reared calves on the family’s lifestyle block. “I love cows, and I love science. So, animal science at Massey was the obvious university path for me,” she says. She is also skilled at translating complex scientific information, for use by the wider dairy sector.

Rhiannon completed her Bachelor of Science and PhD in Animal Science at Massey University, followed by post-doctoral research at the Al Rae Centre for Genetics and Breeding. Prior to her current job she spent time at The Helical Company working on projects for NZ Animal Evaluation and breeding companies focusing on identifying improvements to traits, such as mature liveweight and body condition score, as well as new traits, like methane emissions.