Josiah Cleland

Josiah joined DairyNZ in 2022, bringing a comprehensive understanding of mathematical concepts and modelling to his role.

Josiah has been involved in developing land use competitiveness models to compare how different farm businesses perform on an area of land under different conditions. He has also been involved in the use of machine learning algorithms to connect milk production with the physical and climatic variables related to cows and their environment.

The opportunity to apply his mathematical modelling skillset to real world problems to benefit farmers attracted him to DairyNZ, and the desire to support the rural NZ lifestyle. “I enjoy being able to build solutions to problems,” he says. “What I find most exciting is developing mathematical models that reveal how farm performance changes across different scenarios”.

Josiah’s passion for mathematics was ignited after taking calculus and physics at high school. He went on to gain a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science (first class honours) in physics and nanoscience, followed by a PhD in Mathematical Physics, all completed at Massey University. His work has been internationally recognised with the publication of several papers associated with his PhD. “I place a lot of value on taking concepts that seem obscure, understanding the underlying rationale, and translating them into meaningful discussions, both with farmers and others in the primary sector,” says Josiah.