Darryl MacKenzie

Darryl enjoys working at the intersection of nature and numbers. He co-founded Proteus with David Fletcher in 2000, launching his career in ecological statistics consulting. He brings decades of experience in statistical ecology, guiding clients through the complexities of developing fit-for-purpose monitoring programmes, environmental assessments, and statistical analyses. Known for balancing statistical rigour with practical solutions, Darryl helps clients turn data into meaningful action toward the environmental outcomes they're after. With expertise in many detection-centric approaches, he helps clients understand what was there, not just what was seen.

Methods he co-developed have changed how ecologists approach wildlife monitoring around the world. Darryl has published over 80 scientific papers in leading ecological journals, including the seminal paper on occupancy modelling (modelling species presence/absence data while accounting for imperfect detection and false absences). He is the lead author of two editions of the book Occupancy Estimation and Modelling: Inferring Patterns and Dynamics of Species Occurrence. The University of Otago has granted Darryl an honorary Professor position (equivalent to Full Professor in the US system) for his outstanding contributions to ecological statistics.

Outside work, Darryl is a recovering sports administrator who still plays touch rugby, enjoys the occasional waterski, and an opportunistic fisherman. His best fishing story: landing a 16 lb salmon on 4 lb trout gear, in a river where salmon were thought to be absent. A clear case of a "false absence"!