Dr Brent Clothier is a Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research, an Adjunct Professor at Massey University, Lincoln University and China Agricultural University and Fellow and now President of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Dr Clothier has made a significant contribution to horticultural and agricultural science over the last 46 years of his career. He is a world-leading soil and water scientist and his work has enhanced our understanding of the natural capital that the environment provides to grow our crops so that we can better make informed land use decisions. Dr Clothier’s work on water footprinting, soil science and climate change has prepared New Zealand’s primary production systems for tomorrow’s challenges.
Dr Clothier was elected as President of the Royal Society in November 2019. Here is an excerpt from the Royal Society Alert:-
The Royal Society is thrilled to announce that Crown Research Institute researcher Dr Brent Clothier FRSNZ will be the next President of Royal Society Te Apārangi. He will take over from Professor Wendy Larner FRSNZ on 1 July 2021 at the end of her three-year term. He joins the Society’s Council as President-Elect immediately.
A leading soil and water scientist, Brent is Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research – Rangahau Ahumāra Kai, based in the Manawatū. He has advanced quantitative understanding of the world’s natural capital assets that deliver ecosystem services to grow crops and enable us to make informed land-use decisions. He has developed new theories for water and chemicals moving through soil, along with inventing new devices to monitor these parameters. He has developed a new technology with his colleagues to directly measure water use by trees and vines that has helped improve water management in water-short regions globally.
Dr Brent Clothier was awarded the Sir Arthur Ward Trophy in 2013 for communication of agricultural and horticultural science. He has a vast range of professional distinctions and memberships with 233 peer reviewed journal articles: 39 Books, book chapters, books edited: and 283 conference proceedings.
