Dr Lukas Danner

Lukas is a senior research scientist and Team leader of the Sensory and Consumer Science Team in CSIRO Agriculture and Food. The team research involves developing healthier foods that retain palatability, and understanding and changing acceptance of foods towards a healthy and sustainable diet across the lifespan. The development of healthy foods entails the chemical and physical characterisation of stimuli that give rise to the sensory perception of aroma, flavour and texture, understanding the dynamics of perception and acceptance in eating, including oral breakdown of food and flavour release.
The team also investigates individual differences in sensory perception and preferences, to allow for tailored strategies in personalised foods and diets. Most of the research within the team takes place in a multi-disciplinary context, with key collaborations including material science, processing, genomics, nutrition, and behavioural science.

Lukas has a master’s degree in food science and technology and continued to specialise in sensory and consumer science throughout his PhD which he successfully completed in 2014. In his positions as a researcher, he worked on a wide variety of food sensory related projects, ranging from the development and validation of sensory methods, over the investigation of consumers’ perception of food products, to food product development.

Lukas' current research includes:
* the investigation of consumers' sensory perception of food and how these perceptions are related to consumers' preferences, emotions, and ultimately choice.
* understanding consumers' motivations, needs and barriers adopting healthy and sustainable diets.
* linking chemical composition of the products with their sensory properties.
* investigate how information and context (situation) influences consumers’ perception of food and beverages.
* development and validation of new/rapid sensory methodologies to objectively characterise the sensory properties of food products and beverages.