Professor Charles Spence is a world-renowned experimental psychologist and leading authority in multisensory perception at the University of Oxford. He currently serves as Head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory which he established in 1997 at the Department of Experimental Psychology. His pioneering work bridges the gap between cognitive neuroscience and practical applications in food, design, and consumer experience. Over his distinguished career spanning more than two decades, Professor Spence has built an international reputation for transforming how we understand the integration of human senses in everyday experiences. His leadership at Oxford has made the Crossmodal Research Laboratory a global hub for interdisciplinary sensory science.
Professor Spence's groundbreaking research on multisensory perception has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of how sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch interact to create our perception of the world. His seminal 2004 publication Crossmodal space and crossmodal attention has garnered over 700 citations and established foundational principles for how our brains process information across sensory modalities. His influential work with chef Heston Blumenthal beginning in 2002 directly led to innovative culinary creations like The Fat Duck's famous Sound of the Sea dish, demonstrating the real-world impact of sensory science on gastronomy. Professor Spence has published more than 1,200 academic articles and his research on how product-extrinsic cues affect food perception has transformed packaging design, branding strategies, and sensory marketing across global food and beverage industries.
Beyond his research achievements, Professor Spence has authored or edited 16 books including the Prose prize-winning The perfect meal and the international bestseller Gastrophysics The new science of eating which received the 2019 Le Grand Prix de la Culture Gastronomique. His work extends beyond academia through extensive collaborations with Fortune 500 companies, Michelin-starred chefs, and industry leaders in food, beverage, and fragrance sectors to create enhanced multisensory experiences. Currently, his laboratory continues to pioneer research on how technology will transform future dining and drinking experiences, with recent work exploring the impact of nature exposure on food perception and innovative approaches to multisensory warning signals for drivers. As a thought leader at the intersection of neuroscience and experiential design, Professor Spence's ongoing research promises to further illuminate the complex relationships between our senses and continue shaping how industries design products and environments that optimally engage human perception.
