Flavia Gasperi

Master degree in Pharmaceutical chemistry and technology (University of Bologna, 1987) 

October 2019 - now: Associate Professor in Food Science and Technology (07/F1 ssd  AGRI/15) at Center Agriculture Food Environment of University of Trento, where she teaches :

• Sensory analysis with lab practice” - BSc Viticulture and Oenology, University of Trento).
• Sensory quality of agri-food products and consumer preference - Msc in  Agrifood Innovation Management

Members of the Teaching Board of PhD in Agrifood and Environmental Sciences (University of Trento) 

National Qualifications (MIUR Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, Italy):

• Associate Professor in Food Science and Technology (07/F1 ssd  AGRI/15) - 2018 -2028
• Full Professor in Food Science and Technology (07/F1 ssd  AGRI/15) - 2022 -2032

• Perception processes: individual variability  and multisensory interaction
• Factors that influence consumer preferences and choices;
• Characterization with combined sensory and instrumental techniques of agri-food products (typical dairy products and vegetable productions);
• Innovative production processes for new food products
• Instrumental parameters correlated with sensory properties (volatiles and texture)

Scientific positions 

• 2019 –now: Associate Professor – Sensory Science / Food science and technology, University of Trento. https://www.centro3a.unitn.it/en/1057/sensory-quality-and-consumer-behaviour
• 2002 –2019: Senior researcher at Fondazione Edmund Mach San Michele all’Adige, Italy, head of the research unit “Sensory Quality” (2009-19), head of “Quality and Nutrition” Research Group” (2005-08), “Food microbiology and technology” (2002-2005)
• 1995-2002 Junior researcher - “Food Technology” research group - Istituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige, Italy
• 1990 -1995 Research Analyst - “Recycling and soil fertility” research unit - Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige, Italy
• 1988 - 1990 Fellowship (Istituto Sviluppo Tecnologie Ecologiche -Trento)  Study of new strategies and technologies for waste recycling
• 1987 - 1988 Fellowship (Farminindustria Roma) University of Bologna, “Organic synthesis of new compounds with selective bradycartic effect”

Research activities

Since 1995, she deals with the characterisation of agri-food products by means of a combined sensory-instrumental approach, contributing to the development and application of sensory techniques based on panels of trained judges (discriminative and descriptive methods) combined with consumer panels.

She has contributed to the set-up of a new laboratory with focus on the investigation of perceivable quality of agro-industrial products equipped with innovative and advanced instruments for the detection of volatile compounds responsible for odours and flavours (PTR-MS, GC-MS) and for the measurement of mechanical properties related to texture. 

She has been involved in different research projects focusing on the study of innovative production processes in the agro-industrial field as well as on to the characterisation of local typical products by means of objective techniques.

In the last years more attention has been devoted to the research line of the multidisciplinary investigation of the physiological and psychological factors that influence sensory perception, food preference development and consumer behavior also in relation to demographic and genetic aspects. The aim is to contribute to the basic knolewdge necessary for encouraging and supporting healthy eating.She is involved in the multidisciplinary investigation of the physiological and psychological factors that influence sensory perception and consumer behavior and in applicative research employing a combined approach of sensory and instrumental techniques for the characterization of agri-food products. 

She coauthored  more than150 publications in peer review journals with impact factor, for the complete list: Scopus Author ID: 6603230107 (Metrics/update August 2022 : 159 documents, H-index 44, 5237 citations) or orcid.org/0000-0003-0055-9464

She is one of the founding members of the Italian Society for Sensory Sciences (www.scienzesensoriali.it) and since 2003 is member of the SISS Board. 

She has been member of the scientific committee of the national SISS congresses (Roma 2002, Milano 2008, Napoli 2010, Trieste 2012, San Michele all’Adige 2014, Bologna 2016, Matera 2022) and of the organising committees of the 8th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium (Florence, 2009), and 8th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research (Verona, 2018). She is member of the management board for the professional qualifications of Sensory Project Manager and Sensory Project Manager Junior.

She has been member  member of the scientific comitee of the Italian Taste project, the large-scale multidisciplinary studies to uncover influences on food preferences and choice (http://www.it-taste.it/).