Speakers

Mark Neal

Head of Data Science and Modelling

Mark Neal is a highly experienced agricultural economist and farm systems expert, currently serving as the Head of Data Science and Modelling at DairyNZ in Hamilton, New Zealand. Rooted in a practical approach to understanding and sustaining profitable, resilient pastoral systems, with a strategic input for forages, greenhouse gases and farm systems analysis. Mark also leads strategic efforts to modernise science data workflows, with the team doing world-leading work at the intersection of farm systems and data science.

Mark has deep-rooted professional connections to the dairy sector, having managed operations on his family’s farms in New South Wales as well as on pastoral farms in Chile and the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of Sydney, and carried on with Postgraduate study where he specialised in whole-farm model optimization using advanced computing techniques. Prior to his current role, Mark held research positions at the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland, and worked with the Australian Government's Productivity Commission.