Ha Nguyen, Ph.D.

My journey into chemosensory science is driven by a strong passion for understanding the mechanisms of human sensory perception and the mysteries behind person-to-person differences in chemosensory perception, food preference, and consumption behavior. The individual differences were of interest in my past sensory and consumer studies but not well understood, igniting a keen curiosity in chemosensory science as a source of fundamental knowledge in sensory evaluation and consumer research.

Genetics and ancestry can contribute to large individual differences. However, diversity is missing in much sensory research – although we made efforts to conduct global research, most participants in sensory studies have been from countries largely comprising people of European ancestry. Therefore, research on genetically diverse participants is necessary to broaden the generalizability of the findings, the discovery of new information, and practical applications in diverse populations. Thus, I have been working on the connection between genetic ancestry and bitter perception, the efficacy of bitter blockers, and the heritability of food preference and consumption behavior. I am also studying the mouthfeel perception of sugars and fats in foods and beverages. My research in human sensory psychophysics and genetics at Monell advances my general interests in expanding sensory knowledge, improving sensory methods, and improving the missing participant diversity.

Affiliations

Postdoctoral Fellow, Monell Chemical Senses Center

Education

Ph.D., Food Science and Technology, University of Alberta

Laboratory Of

Dr. Danielle Reed