Dr. Jayas provides gifted leadership in conducting interdisciplinary research and is world renowned for his research in grain storage. His team has integrated the work of entomologists, agricultural engineers, and mathematicians into the development of new methods of measuring, analysing, and modelling (mathematically) the properties of grains and heat and mass transfer in grain during storage. The modelling of heat and mass transfer in stored grain has also provided a basis for use of non-chemical methods for the control of insects. His team is applying digital image processing for automation of processing operations in grain handling facilities. Dr. Jayas has successfully completed a variety of research projects in the food engineering area. His team has recently developed a liquid nitrogen- refrigerated container for the storage, transportation, and distribution of retail-ready fresh chilled meat.

He served for six years as Associate Editor of two international journals (Transactions of the ASAE and Applied Engineering in Agriculture) for the Food Process Engineering Institute of ASAE. He also served for six years as Associate Editor for Food Engineering and Processing divisions of Canadian Agricultural Engineering. He has served as the President of the Canadian Institute of Food Science andTechnology and Chair of the Strategic Grant Selection Panel of NSERC. Currently, he is serving on the Editorial Boards of two international journals (Agricultural Engineering Journal and Journal of Stored Products Research), Chair of Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board, and Executive Committee Member of Genome Prairie.

His research is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through Operating and Strategic Grants and by the Agri-food industry through Operating Grants and Contracts and covers a broad spectrum between basic and applied research. Recently, he led a successful proposal to obtain funds from Canada Foundation for Innovation, Province of Manitoba and Industry to construct, a 4.6 million dollar worth, 14000 sq ft facility for research on stored-grain ecosystems.

He has authored or co-authored over 200 technical articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings and books. He is co-editor of a book entitled "Stored-Grain Ecosystems" and co-author of a book entitled "Grain Drying: Theory and Practice".

He has received professional awards from Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, and Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba.