Maria Ramirez Awarded NIH F31 Fellowship Wednesday May 13, 2026 Congratulations to FCSI member Maria Ramirez, Graduate Student in the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics (Wesson Lab), on being awarded a three-year NIH F31 Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This award is a testament to her scientific promise and the compelling nature of her research project, “Chemosensory influences of intranasal […]
Dr. Zepeng Yao Receives Polak Young Investigator Award Tuesday May 12, 2026 Congratulations to Dr. Zepeng Yao, Assistant Professor in the UF Department of Biology and member of the FCSI, on being honored with a prestigious Polak Young Investigator Award! This recognition highlights Dr. Yao’s outstanding scientific merit and research achievements, showcased at the annual AChemS meeting. Please join us in celebrating this achievement!
The Science Behind the Taste and Smell of Your Favorite Drink Tuesday April 14, 2026 Take a moment to think about your favorite fermented beverage. Be it a craft beer, a complex wine, or a tangy kombucha; Before you even take a sip, you lift the glass, inhale, and let the aroma guide your expectations. That initial sensory experience, the intricate dance of taste and smell, is not accidental. It […]
What is The Scent of Control? How Microbial Signals Could Tame an Agricultural Pest Friday March 6, 2026 When you pick up a carton of fresh blueberries or strawberries, the last thing you want to think about is an insect infestation. Yet, a tiny invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii, poses a massive threat to these crops. This fly is responsible for an estimated $500 million in crop losses annually in the U.S. alone. While […]
How Ants Choose Scents: Florida Chemical Senses Institute Researcher Dr. Hua Yan Contributes to Significant Discovery of Olfactory Mechanism Wednesday November 19, 2025 The intricate world of animal senses continues to yield fascinating secrets, and a recent publication in the journal Nature sheds new light on how ants navigate their olfactory landscape. A team of researchers, including Dr. Hua Yan from the University of Florida and FCSI, has uncovered a remarkably unique mechanism that allows ants to detect […]
FCSI and Chemosensory T32 Fellow: Cristina Mercado Investigates Olfactory Gene Regulation in Flour Beetles Friday August 15, 2025 Cristina Mercado brings a wealth of research experience to the Florida Chemical Senses Institute—experience she began accumulating well before starting graduate school. Now a second-year Ph.D. student in Zoology with a concentration in Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Florida, Mercado is using her scientific background to explore new questions in insect […]
Exploring the Neural Intersections of Feeding, Stress, and Senses: A Conversation with Dr. Michelle Bedenbaugh Monday August 4, 2025 Dr. Michelle Bedenbaugh joined the University of Florida’s Department of Neuroscience in November 2024, bringing with her a research vision grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and a deep appreciation for the complexity of the brain. Her path into neuroscience began with a love for animals and a desire to become a veterinarian, until hands-on experience in […]
FCSI Member Kayli R. Sieber Defends Her Ph.D. Thesis Friday July 4, 2025 FCSI member Kayli R. Sieber successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis. Kayli is a valued student member of the Florida Chemical Senses Institute and an alumnus of the Chemosensory Training Program (NIH T32). Her research in the lab of Dr. Hua Yan has contributed to advancing our understanding of chemosensory neural development and social behavior in […]
Dr. Jennifer Mulligan Secures First NIDCD R01 Grant to Investigate Vitamin D Nasal Spray for Smell Loss Thursday June 19, 2025 The Florida Chemical Senses Institute is proud to recognize a significant achievement by FCSI member Dr. Jennifer Mulligan, who has received her first R01 award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). The grant will fund her research into how inflammation contributes to smell loss and support the development of a […]
FCSI Trainee Spotlight: Sarah Sniffen Explores the Emotional Power of Smell Wednesday June 18, 2025 Sarah Sniffen, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the University of Florida’s Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program (Neuroscience concentration), is deeply invested in unraveling how our brains assign emotional meaning to odors—a line of research with powerful implications for mental health. Before joining UF, Sniffen completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Florida State University, where she […]
A Lifelong Commitment to Taste and Teaching: Dr. Sims’ Story Friday June 13, 2025 Dr. Charles Sims has dedicated nearly four decades to advancing food science at the University of Florida. As a professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, his expertise in sensory evaluation and flavor chemistry has positioned him as a leading voice in understanding how consumers perceive food—and how that understanding can inform agricultural […]
Aging and Sensory Biology: Dr. Rui Xiao Friday June 13, 2025 Since joining the University of Florida in 2015, Dr. Rui Xiao has been at the forefront of research on chemosensory modulation of aging. Now an Associate Professor, Dr. Xiao’s work aligns seamlessly with the mission of the Florida Chemical Senses Institute (FCSI), where he investigates how sensory inputs impact organismal aging and longevity. Dr. Xiao’s […]
FCSI Associate Director Daniel Hahn Elected as AAAS Fellow Friday June 13, 2025 The Florida Chemical Senses Institute is proud to celebrate the election of Dr. Daniel A. Hahn to the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows, one of the highest honors in the scientific community. As an associate director of FCSI and a professor in UF’s Entomology and Nematology Department, Dr. Hahn’s research on insect physiology, adaptation, and […]
Dr. Yan: Unlocking the Secrets of Social Behavior Through Ants Friday June 13, 2025 Ants are among the most socially sophisticated creatures on Earth, relying on intricate chemical communication to coordinate their colonies. At the University of Florida, Dr. Hua Yan, a professor of biology, is exploring the neural and genetic foundations of this behavior, uncovering how chemosensory development shapes social interactions. A valuable member of the Florida Chemical […]
Predoctoral Training Program in Chemosensory Science NIH T32 Friday June 13, 2025 The UF Training Program in Chemosensory Science (TPCS) NIH T32, supported by the NIDCD, is accepting applications for a predoctoral fellow slot beginning start of the fall semester, 2025. The selected trainee will be eligible for up to two years of stipend and tuition support, funds for travel to present research, and funds to cover […]
