Dr. Christopher Simons

Dr. Christopher Simons earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Oregon, his M.S. degree in Physiology from Portland State University in Portland, OR, and his Ph.D. in Sensory Science from the University of California, Davis. Subsequently, Chris completed post-doctoral fellowships in the Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Sensorielle [Sensory Neurobiology Laboratory] at the Ecole Pratiques des Hautes Etudes in Massy, France and the Unités de Formation et Recherche de la Odontologie [Dental School] at the Universite Paris 7. From 2004 through 2012 Chris led the Sensory Research function at Givaudan Flavors Corp. and joined the faculty in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the Ohio State University in 2013. Dr. Simons’s research interests use a multidisciplinary approach to understand the perception of foods and how they are processed to influence reward and, ultimately, behavior. One outcome of this research is to identify the neural and physiological correlates associated with perception, liking, and food choice using a variety of methodologies including human sensory testing or psychophysics, electrophysiology, and behavioral measurements. Another outcome is to leverage the knowledge gained from these types of investigations to develop new methodologies that assist in the creation of better foods. In 2017, Chris was awarded the Barry Jacobs Memorial Award for Research in the Psychophysics of Human Taste and Smell by the Association for Chemoreception Sciences and in 2018 he received the Educator Award from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture association.

Area of Expertise: Sensory Evaluation and Psychophysics. Methodology Development.  Neural and physiological underpinnings of sensation, reward and consumer decision. Functional and cognitive benefits of flavors and food ingredients.