2026 Human Centricity – What This Means for the Food Scientist?: Heather Smyth
Heather is a Professor and Deputy Director of Research at QAAFI, The University of Queensland. A flavour chemist and sensory scientist with more than 20 years of experience, Heather has worked extensively in premium food and beverage innovation, helping organisations better understand consumers and develop products that meet evolving market needs.
Consumers experience food differently, influenced by biology, sensory perception, psychology, culture, context and emotion. In this session, Professor Heather Smyth explores what a human-centric approach means for food scientists and the development of products for an increasingly diverse consumer market. Moving beyond traditional measures of consumer liking, Heather will examine how individual differences and context influence food choice and experience, and consider emerging opportunities in personalised nutrition and technology-enabled food choices. This presentation offers a fresh perspective on what understanding human variability could mean for the future of food innovation.