Dr. Digvir Jayas is the University of Lethbridge’s seventh president & vice-chancellor, effective July 1, 2023.

Born and raised in India, Dr. Jayas earned a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, and went on to complete a graduate degree and PhD in agricultural engineering at the Universities of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, respectively. He began teaching at University of Manitoba in 1985, eventually ascending to the position of Vice-President (Research and International), which he held for 12 years.

An internationally renowned researcher, Dr. Jayas studies the drying, handling and storing of grains and oilseeds, and digital image processing for grading and processing operations in the agri-food industry. From 2002 to 2009, he was a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Stored-Grain Ecosystems, and in 2009 was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2018, Dr. Jayas was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is the 2023 recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in Manitoba.

Married to his wife Manju for 40 years, they have three sons and five grandchildren, all living in Winnipeg.

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