Suresh Raja Neethirajan

Dr. Suresh Raja Neethirajan is an Associate Professor and Dalhousie University Research Chair in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. His research program focuses on digital livestock farming, integrating artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and advanced sensor technologies to improve animal health, welfare, and sustainable agricultural practices.

His research interests span Digital Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Animal-Computer Interaction, and Sensors & Bio-Instrumentation. He leads the Mooanalytica research lab, which develops innovative tools such as facial recognition systems for emotion detection in cows and pigs, rapid diagnostic sensors for avian influenza and food allergens, and wearable devices for non-invasive physiological monitoring.

The recent publications reflect a strong trend in developing AI-driven, sensor-based solutions for precision livestock farming. These include emotion recognition in pigs, sex detection in chicken eggs, and circadian rhythm modeling in dairy cows, all leveraging computer vision, machine learning, and multimodal data fusion to advance animal welfare and farm efficiency.

• Dalhousie University Research Chair

Dr. Neethirajan supervises BSc, MSc, and PhD students and is actively involved in teaching and guest lectures on sensor technologies. His lab has access to state-of-the-art research facilities in the Netherlands and collaborates across veterinary, agricultural, and biomedical domains. He has previously held academic and research positions at Wageningen University, the University of Guelph, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the National Agricultural Research Organization in Japan.

His team has developed numerous industrial-ready solutions, including on-farm detection tests for ketosis and coronavirus, and is focused on transforming laboratory innovations into practical applications for the agri-food industry. Future work continues to emphasize resilience sensing, data management systems, and non-contact vital sign technologies.