The Poultry Nutrition Research Award was presented to Dr Moritz by Phillip Smith of Tyson Foods, during the annual PSA meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas.

"We believe it is important to recognise leaders in poultry nutrition as the US produced 55 million tons of broiler feed in 2013 alone," said Sellers. "That is more than double the production of swine feed, which is the second highest total in annual feed production in the states last year."

Dr Moritz was trained in nutrition and feed manufacture at The Ohio State and Kansas State Universities. He joined the faculty at West Virginia University in 2002, was tenured in 2008 and promoted to full professor in 2013. He maintains a 45 per cent research, 30 per cent teaching and 25 per cent extension appointment.

His research focus is on nutritional consequences of feed manufacture. Dr Moritz's laboratory has published 37 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented 65 abstracts at national meetings. He has been honored with teaching and research awards at the division and college level as well as the Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Junior and Senior Faculty Awards of Merit. Moritz's teaching efforts were also recognized with the prestigious Land O'Lakes/Purina Mills National Teaching Award in 2007.

The AFIA Poultry Nutrition Research Award is sponsored by AFIA as part of its continuing awards program that dates back to 1948. The award was given to Alejandro Corzo of Elanco Animal Health in 2013.