An award-winning professor at the University of Ottawa has died after contracting H1N1, CBC News has learned.

According to a press release sent out by the university, Dr. Keith Fagnou, a professor of chemistry in the faculty of science, passed away suddenly on Wednesday. CBC News has confirmed that he died of H1N1-related illness.

In a press release sent out Thursday, Ottawa Public Health said a "male succumbed to flu-related complications while at the intensive care unit in an Ottawa hospital."

Fagnou's is the fourth H1N1-related death in Ottawa since September.

According to university officials, Fagnou had no underlying health conditions.

Brilliant researcher

Fagnou held the University of Ottawa's research chair in the development of novel catalytic transformations. According to the university, he was an exceptional researcher who won several prestigious chemistry awards, including the Polanyi Prize, during his brief career.

Fagnou's research was considered part of the "green chemistry" movement. He focused on finding cheaper, more environmentally-friendly ways to produce complex chemicals, like those found in pharmaceuticals and plastics.

Fagnou worked as a teacher before becoming a scientist. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of education in 1995, and after teaching high school for a short while, he attended the University of Toronto, where he obtained his master's and PhD in chemistry. He joined the faculty at the University of Ottawa in 2002.

Fagnou is survived by his wife and three children.