Hi there!

I’m currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Taste and Feeding Behaviour, INRAE. My primary research focus centers on flavor perception, more specifically, how certain odorants enhance the perception of intensity for taste. This phenomenon is known as odor-induced taste enhancement, OITE for short. Leveraging these insights, I aim to unravel the nature of taste-smell integration that forms the representation of flavor in the human mind.

I received my PhD in Psychology (magna cum laude) at the University of Münster, Germany, with primary supervision by PD Dr. Kathrin Ohla, alongside co-supervision from Prof. Dr. Niko Bush and PD Ralph Weidner. My PhD research focuses on the human gustatory system where I have worked on Gustatory Working Memory, taste/smell sensitivity in healthy aging, and how contextual information shaped taste intensity perception.

Before commencing my doctoral journey, I spent approximately four years as a Research Assistant under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Alexandre Schaefer at Monash University. During this period, I developed expertise in neuroimaging techniques such as EEG/ERP, focusing my research on decision-making and neuroeconomics. My research during this time aligned with my successful completion of a Master’s degree in engineering science. Additionally, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Monash University.

Born and raised in Malaysia, a culturally diverse nation, I’ve had privilege of growing up as a trilingual in English, Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia. I also dabble in Korean, German and French. I sometimes literally run/swim to run/swim away from problems, a coffee addict and a flat white connoisseur, and if you ever get me started on this topic, I will not stop talking about it.