A University of Guelph engineering professor has been recognized with an international award for his contributions to nanotechnology in food safety, agriculture and animal health.

Suresh Neethirajan received the Young Engineer of the Year Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The society includes more than 40 Universities across the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada.Suresh getting award

He was recognized with the top award for his “outstanding contributions to the advancement of the agricultural/biological engineering profession,” according to a citation.

Neethirajan, director of the University of Guelph’s BioNano Laboratory, is working to develop a number of bio-sensing techniques and applications, including tools to detect the avian flu, image chromosome structures and use electrical charges to fight infections.

This is the third major award for Neethirajan this year. He received the 2015 Young Engineering Achievement Award in May from Engineers Canada and the 2015 Young Engineer of the Year Award in July from the Canadian Society for Bioengineering.