1956-2012: 57 years of continuous service to microbiology in New Zealand

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Employed by | AgResearch td.

Areas of expertise |

I started with a BSc from the University of Canterbury and then worked as a microbiology technician at the PPCS central laboratory in Christchurch.  This was predominantly quality control testing for meat hygiene and environmental monitoring.  I then moved to Hamilton to the Meat Industry Research Institute (MIRINZ) where I work in the environmental section which focused on reducing the environmental impact of meat process plants.  During this time I completed an MSc at the University of Waikato part time.  My thesis topic was a joint project with NIWA and the thesis title was “Faecal contamination and flood events in a rural stream”.  MIRINZ was then merged with AgResearch, I moved to the Land and Environmental Management Section and shifted my research focus to reducing the environmental impacts of pastoral agriculture on surface water quality.  With AgResearch, I transferred to Invermay (near Dunedin) and also completed a PhD through Otago University titled “The association of Escherichia coli and soil particles in overland flow”.  My current research focus is on using models to synthesize microbiological data into a framework that can be used to prioritize on-farm mitigations to improve water quality.

Type of activities |

I am involved in both academic and industrial research

Contact details |

Agresearch Ltd., Invermay Agricultural Centre, Puddle Alley, Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel 9053

telephone: 03-4893809

mail: richard.muirhead@agresearch.co.nz

 

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