Council Member
Dr. Digvir S. Jayas is the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lethbridge and a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Jayas spent more than a decade in academic leadership roles at the University of Manitoba including as its vice-president (research and international) for nearly 14 years. He has served as president, chair and board member of many organizations in fields including food science, health policy, bioengineering, marine, arctic research and many more. He has acted as interim president of Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC).
Dr. Jayas has received multiple awards recognizing his research and professional contributions to agriculture in Canada, India and the Unites States, including the Sukup Global Food Security Award in 2017 and the Brockhouse Canada Prize (NSERC) in 2008. For his important contributions of knowledge in multiple domains, he received the Sir John William Dawson Medal from the Royal Society of Canada in 2009. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an inductee to both the Manitoba and the Canadian Agricultural Halls of Fame and an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Dr. Jayas has authored or co-authored over 1000 technical articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings and books. He holds a Ph.D., M.Sc. and B.Tech., and is a registered professional engineer and agrologist.
Dr. Jayas was appointed to the NRC Council in March 2022.