On January 28th 2010 Professor Levente Diosady of the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Toronto was named to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest official honour. The Order recognizes Ontarians who have made an outstanding contribution to society in Ontario and around the world and is awarded for excellence and achievement in any field. Past recipients have contributed to education, the arts, community and public service, science and medicine, citizenship and multiculturalism, business, sports, and many other fields.
Professor Diosady has achieved world wide reputation for his work in the science of food engineering, particularly for making life saving improvements in the diets of millions of children in the third world. His celebrated achievement – a technique to combat iodine deficiency and anemia – has benefitted millions around the world.
Diosady was recognized for his 30 year career, in which he has established himself as one of Canada’s leading food engineers. His research has improved vegetable oil processing, edible-oil refining, micronutrient fortification and meat curing. Diosady, who is a three-time graduate of the University of Toronto, has previously been recognized by CIFST in 2007 with the William J. Eva Award for outstanding research contributions to food science. In 2008 he was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and was inducted into the U of T Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction in 2004.
Professor Diosady plays an active part in the life of the Hungarian community in Ontario: he is founding director of the Hungarian Research Institute, an ancillary research institute at the University of Toronto, and is a Vice-President of the Rakoczy Foundation of Canada. For his curriculum vitae click here.