Zinātnieku nakts 2025
The lecture will take place within the UL Foundation’s series “Academic Readings” on October 2 at 18:00 in the Aula Magna on 19 Raiņa bulvāris. The event is open to all, and free tickets can be reserved here.
Professor Spence will present key findings on the connections between the human senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—and how they come together to form unified perception. Special focus will be given to how this research informs art, design (particularly multisensory design), gastronomy, and the emerging field of sensory marketing.
Charles Spence is Professor of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University and head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in modern taste research. His decades-long work has transformed the study of perception and shaped the field of gastrophysics.
His research has shown how sound, touch, and visual appearance critically influence the perception of flavor, how aesthetic judgment affects taste, and how sensory interactions are deeply linked to human emotions.
Professor Spence’s contributions span multiple disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, medicine, architecture, computer science (especially virtual reality and interface design), food science, and design. He has collaborated with leading global companies such as the European Space Agency, Toyota, BMW, Starbucks, British Airways, Gillette, LG Electronics, and many others.
Author of over 1,000 scientific papers with more than 100,000 citations (H-index: 161), Professor Spence has received numerous prestigious awards, including honors from the Experimental Psychology Society, the British Psychological Society, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
His books reach both academic and popular audiences. Notable works include The Perfect Meal: The Multisensory Science of Food and Dining (2014), the international bestseller Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating (2017), awarded the Grand Prix de la Culture Gastronomique, and Sensehacking: How to Use the Power of Your Senses for Happier, Healthier Living (2021).
 with a public lecture entitled: “The Correspondences: Connecting the Senses across Time and Space, Implications for Science, Art, & Design”.){kind=link}