Diana Selbie

I was brought up on a high country sheep and beef farm in northern Southland. I have always had a love of the outdoors and spent summer breaks on the hills at home or working on dairy farms.

I completed a B Ag Sci (Hons) at Lincoln University which first sparked the interest in soils as the most important resource underpinning agriculture and the environment. I then travelled to Ireland on a Walsh Fellowship to conduct my doctoral studies with Teagasc and Lincoln University on the fate of urinary nitrogen in grazed pasture systems, and was awarded my PhD in 2014.

I have been a scientist with AgResearch in Hamilton since 2012 and have contributed, in science and leadership roles, to the development of Overseer Nutrient Budgets, Pastoral 21, Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching and the Our Land & Water National Science Challenge. I took on the role of senior scientist in 2017 and recently relocated to the Lincoln campus in early 2019.

The primary aim of my current research is to provide farmers and rural communities with options to more efficiently manage nutrients and mitigate contaminant losses.

In my spare time, I love to travel, have a passion for food and wine with friends and family, and can either be found outdoors (tramping, sport, on the farm) or curled up on the couch with a good book.

I regard my contribution to the NZSSS Council as an important service and am motivated to promote soils and soil-related issues on behalf of the NZ soils community.