My research focuses on the psychology of human dietary behaviour, with particular expertise in beliefs about food, episodic memory, oral processing behaviours, the drivers of portion size and food choice in both adults and children, and the role of parent–child interactions in shaping children’s dietary preferences and eating patterns.

I have contributed to studies examining how food-cue reactivity may promote overeating and weight gain, as well as projects investigating meal-planning practices in free-living populations, the determinants of expected satiation, and the factors that facilitate or impede flavour–nutrient learning in humans. My research also aims to understand how these mechanisms can inform strategies to support sustainable yet acceptable dietary transitions, ensuring that changes in dietary patterns are both environmentally beneficial and psychologically acceptable to consumers.

My PhD explored the hypothesis that modern humans exhibit an ‘adaptive memory’ for food – specifically, an enhanced memory for foods that are energy-dense and/or highly satiating. As a postdoctoral researcher, I examined: (i) how increased dietary variety (particularly exposure to different brands of the same food) may encourage greater energy intake; (ii) the mechanisms through which eating rate (e.g., slow eating) influences satiety; and (iii) whether a 50% reduction in lunch portion size (a small behavioural nudge) can meaningfully reduce energy intake in adults, and whether small enhancements to foods comprising a meal can increase meal enjoyment and preserve meal satisfaction when portions are reduced.

Currently, I am a Co-Investigator on the BBSRC OIRC Innovation Hub Consumer Lab, where we support academic–industry partnerships addressing several key challenges, including the development of methods with greater ecological validity, engagement with seldom-heard communities, improved understanding of the drivers of food choice, and the promotion of more sustainable dietary behaviours. I also serve as a Co-Investigator within the Bristol Biomedical Research Centre Diet and Physical Activity theme, where my work focuses on post-exercise eating behaviour.