OCTOBER 11, 2022 — This week we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Digvir Jayas as vice-president, following the conclusion of his 13-year tenure as vice-president (research and international) (VPRI), and prior eight-year term as associate vice-president (research).
Dr. Jayas’ research career at UM is extensive, leading from a lifelong commitment to understanding causes of food spoilage and developing solutions for reducing grain losses to curtail global hunger through modernized grain storage systems. He is well known for cross-faculty collaboration, previously serving as associate dean (research) in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, head of the department of biosystems engineering, and interim director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.
The success of this inter-disciplinary approach is on full display in the development of a grain storage robot called “Grain-o-bot”, which monitors grain quality without cross-contamination and development of the concept of horizontal airflow drying that dries grain more uniformly and with less energy. Dr. Jayas remains grateful for the contributions of nearly 200 research trainees to his research program.