Robin Dando

My training prior to joining Cornell is in Physics, Physiology and Neuroscience, primarily working on the interactions between our body and the food we consume, and how this shapes our preference. The mammalian taste system consists of many complex events which take a simple receptor activation at the taste bud, to a rich and emotional response such as that elicited by our favorite foods. We tend to underestimate the true nature or depth of these interactions. My lab uses biological techniques and those from psychophysics to elucidate the nature of some of these processes, and understand how they can in turn be swayed by factors such as our body’s physiology, an illness, or even by our mood.

Teaching Focus

Robin teaches the Sensory Evaluation of Foods course FDSC4100, supervises the sensory journal club FDSC6950 and the graduate student research hour FDSC6060, and intermittently teaches a course based around the biology of food perception.

Areas Of Expertise

• Food Science
• Sensory Evaluation

Graduate Fields

• Food Science and Technology
• Biomedical and Biological Sciences
• Neurobiology and Behavior