Digvir Jayas appointed to Order of Canada

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This article was published 11/01/2019 (2446 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

From humble beginnings as a student and farmhand working outside of New Delhi, to serving as a distinguished professor and vice-president at the University of Manitoba, Digvir Jayas’ career may be proof that you reap what you sow.

Jayas, 60, was recently announced as one of 103 appointees to the Order of Canada by Governor General Julie Payette. He will enter the order as an officer.

“When I received the call I was overwhelmed and it took me a few seconds to absorb the news,” Jayas told The Sou’wester. “I certainly was deeply honoured and felt quite humbled, but the things which came to my mind when I heard the news was the help and assistance I have received from so many people.
“So the feeling of gratitude was the most strong at that time.”

The Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours and recognizes individuals for service, innovation, and compassion, according to a statement issued by the Governor General’s office. Jayas is being invested for his advancements to agricultural practices worldwide and for his promotion of academic and scientific research in Canada.

Jayas is currently the U of M’s vice-president of research and international, a role he took on in 2011; the interim president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; and a former Canada Research Chair in stored-grain ecosystems. He is also a volunteer board member for numerous professional and technical societies.

His research over the past 30 years has focused on engineering models that can improve the storage and transportation of grain, and addressing the challenges of grain spoilage and pest infestation. Jayas has authored and co-authored about 900 technical articles related to his research in the field, and was the past recipient of the 2017 Sukup Global Food Security Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

As a child growing up under the charge of his grandparents on a farm 150 kilometres southeast of New Delhi, India, Jayas said he saw first-hand food loss and spoilage.

“My grandfather certainly is the one I would give full credit for instilling in me the value of hard work,” Jayas said.

“There were many issues which I thought could be solved by applying engineering to agriculture,” he recalled. “I said something could be done, but at that time I was not sure I would become a professor working in that area.”

In 1980, Jayas came to Canada where he completed his master’s degree in agricultural engineering at the U of M, and then went to Saskatoon, where he finished his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan, and later returned to the U of M as an assistant professor in the agricultural engineering department.

While not necessarily anticipating to be an instrumental part in the academic pursuits of hundreds of students and researchers in Manitoba and Canada, Jayas said he has always been motivated to teach and to help others understand, explore, and solve complex problems.

That desire to see others succeed eventually propelled him into an administrative role within the university, where he routinely supports new and ongoing research by assisting to secure funding for programs and infrastructure.

“I certainly enjoy working with the researchers from any discipline, from archaeology to zoology, trying to understand what their issues are, and if I can help solve them,” Jayas said.

“I get a lot of gratification from the success of other researchers at the university, and at the same time I get a lot of gratification from the success of my graduate students when they finish their degrees and leave and are making their own mark on the world.”

Jayas said his investiture into the Order of Canada will allow him to continue producing and disseminating research for the benefit of society.

“Producing grain and producing food is a very resource intensive process and we as a society have to minimize those losses,” he said. “We should be paying attention not to waste the food.”