Dr. Ha Nguyen has a background in chemical and food engineering. She earned a doctorate in food science and technology, focusing on sensory and consumer science, from the University of Alberta. She has an extensive background in both basic and applied sensory science research, with experience in academic and industrial settings. Her work with the commercial food and beverage sectors involved sensory and consumer research for quality control and product innovation. Before joining UC Davis, she was a postdoctoral research fellow in human sensory psychophysics and genetics at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA—the world’s only independent, non-profit scientific institute for interdisciplinary basic research on the senses of taste and smell. 

Dr. Nguyen’s research integrates classic and advanced psychophysical, sensory, and consumer research methods with cutting-edge genetic, molecular biology, and physicochemical techniques to advance sensory knowledge and methodologies, providing a more comprehensive understanding of products, consumers, and their interactions. She aims to apply these insights to improve human health and address global challenges in food and nutrition security—both broadly and within the context of viticulture and enology (e.g., sustainability practices, climate change, smoke taint, and the development of no- or low-alcohol products).

Dr. Nguyen’s research program aims to get into the heart of sensory science: understanding the mechanisms of sensory perception and uncovering the mysteries behind person-to-person differences in sensory responses, thereby improving sensory methodologies. Her recent work has demonstrated that genetics contributes to individual differences in bitter taste perception, the efficacy of bitter blockers and sweeteners in reducing bitterness, the pleasantness of odors, and the liking and intake of alcoholic beverages—highlighting the importance of genetic variation in shaping sensory and consumer responses. Moving forward, she intends to apply sensory and genetic methods to explore how genetic, ancestral, regional, dietary, and sociocultural differences influence sensory perception, preference, and consumption of wine. A key component of this effort is building a genetics database and global map for wine sensory perception. By understanding chemosensory and hedonic biomarkers alongside sociocultural factors, her work will help develop formulations tailored to individuals or specific populations—or optimize products for those with the most challenging palates.

Part of Dr. Nguyen’s research focuses on uncovering mechanisms of taste, smell, and related senses (e.g., chemesthesis and mouthfeel) while applying sensory analysis and consumer studies to discover novel ingredients and develop healthier formulations. She plans to use advanced psychophysical methods, in collaboration with scientists across diverse fields, to integrate sensory and consumer science with genetics, neuroscience, molecular biology, and physicochemical science. Additionally, she is keen to apply advanced data science techniques to sensory and consumer data, providing deeper insights into consumer perceptions and preferences, and bridging the gap between consumer and expert perceptions and languages to develop a comprehensive sensory lexicon. 

Ultimately, her vision is to make discoveries that support viticulture and enology, food science and technology, and nutrition science, while addressing stakeholder concerns around sustainability and healthy eating. Dr. Nguyen welcomes inquiries from students, postdocs, trainees, and collaborators interested in both fundamental and applied sensory research across these areas. Contact her to learn more about ongoing projects, training opportunities, and potential collaborations.