Biography

I have received extensive training in the chemical senses both at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA, and at the Smell and Taste Center at the University of Pennsylvania. My training was primarily in the area of odorant signal transduction, and olfactory function in neurological disorders. Since 2004, I have been working on the development of a clinical taste test that uses edible taste strips that are
composed of pullulan and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose polymers. The development of this new taste test has exposed me to human psychophysics. My goal is to integrate my previous training in biochemistry and molecular genetics with human psychophysics. Although the areas may not seem to overlap, the recent
identification of genetic variation in bitter and fat taste receptors is one area that requires a background in both molecular genetics and psychophysics. A second area of integration is the examination of fatty acid taste function, where my knowledge of the physical and biochemical characteristics of lipids (especially membrane
lipids) has allowed me to examine fatty acid taste from a unique perspective. This background has allowed me to develop edible taste strips that contain emulsified long-chain fatty acids.
Our work on the development of a clinical taste test has allowed me to serve as a member of the NIH Toolbox study, where we developed edible strips for examining taste blindness. My interactions with members of the NIH Toolbox taste team allowed me greatly strengthen my background in psychophysics. Although I am broadly trained in the life sciences, I feel that my training will be an asset for future studies in the chemical senses. My long term goals are to integrate human gustatory and olfactory psychophysics with molecular approaches, and to develop new approaches that will hopefully move the field forward. These studies will examine chemoreception not only in the oral cavity, but in other organ systems of the body where functional taste receptors are expressed.