With the appointment of Professor Charles Spence from Oxford University as Affiliated Professor in Experimental Food Sensory Psychology in the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University with effect from 1 September 2014 the Department of Food Science will strengthen its already existing ties with Oxford University and boost its international research profile. The appointment is for a five-year period.

Charles Spence is a world leading expert in the field of multisensory perception and neuroscience-inspired design. His passion is to apply psychology and neuroscience to everyday life. His research interests are focussed on applying the latest insights concerning the multisensory nature of human perception to the real world; from the design of food to packaging and novel presentation of food in gastronomic settings.

- Charles Spence is a leader in applying the latest insights from experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience to the design of better-tasting, more stimulating, more memorable, and healthier food and drink experiences, says Professor Derek V. Byrne, Science leader of Food Metabolomics and Sensory Science at the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University. Derek V. Byrne has had a close working relationship with Charles Spence since 2009 and intends to develop this scientific synergy over the initial five-year affiliation period.

At Oxford University Charles Spence leads the Crossmodal Research Laboratory in the Department of Experimental Psychology. In the past ten years he has published more than 500 peer reviewed articles and authored and edited eight books. In addition, he has delivered more than 500 talks at international conferences and meetings, and been awarded a number of national and international prizes for his research.

Charles Spence is very keen on the practical application of his knowledge and collaborates with leaders in the food and beverage industry, cookery schools and restaurants, such as the Paul Bocuse cooking school in Lyon, the Alicia Foundation outside Barcelona, the gourmet restaurant The Fat Duck in London, Pepsico, Diageo, Twinings, Pernod Ricard, and Starbucks, to name but a few. He also works closely with a number of young up-and-coming chefs including Jozef Youssef and CharlesMichel.

Most recently, this highly productive professor has also co-authored a new book “The Perfect Meal: The Multisensory Science of Food and Dining” together with Betina Piqueras-Fiszman. The book reveals how the act of eating is a multi-sensory experience.

- I am very excited at the opportunity this appointment will have to take the findings from the lab out into the real world, and hopefully have a very real beneficial impact on eating and drinking as a result, says Professor Charles Spence.

Michelle Williams, Head of the Department of Food Science, is very pleased to welcome Charles Spence to the department:

- The department’s strategy is to strengthen its international research profile. In order to deliver on this we have taken an initiative to affiliate key collaborators who have been identified as important for the profile and future growth of our department. I believe that Charles Spence will strengthen our ability to secure a leading position in sensory and consumer science based on his complementary expertise in experimental psychology.

For more information please contact:

Head of Department Michelle Williams, Department of Food Science, telephone: +45 8715 7957/8715 8335, mobile: +45 2517 0049, e-mail: mw@food.au.dk

Professor Charles Spence, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, telephone: +44 (0)1865 271364, e-mail: charles.spence@psy.ox.ac.uk,