The science of learning, memory, and behavior.

Why do certain sensory experiences capture our attention, guide our choices, or change the way we learn? Everyday behavior is shaped by a continuous exchange between the brain, the body, and the senses. A smell can trigger a memory, a food cue can alter motivation, and bodily signals can influence how we respond to reward, threat, or uncertainty.

In our lab, we investigate how perception, learning, and behavior are shaped by sensory and physiological processes. We combine experimental psychology, sensory neuroscience, psychophysiology, and clinical perspectives to study taste, smell, flavor, food perception, bodily signals, and adaptive behavior. Our work uses controlled behavioral tasks together with physiological measurements such as pupil responses, electromyography, electrocardiography, and non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation.

By integrating behavioral, physiological, and psychological data, we aim to understand how humans perceive, learn, adapt, and regulate behavior in changing environments. This knowledge is relevant not only for basic psychological science, but also for clinical and applied questions involving motivation, eating behavior, emotional regulation, fear learning, and maladaptive patterns of behavior.