Smell - Pamela Dalton & Sofia Ehrich

Internet of Senses Podcast

Join Smell Expert Sofia Ehrich as she interviews Pamela Dalton of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. In this interview, they will discuss loss of smell, smell’s role in heritage and culture, malodors and non-lethal weapons, and the Monell Chemical Senses Center.

Pamela Dalton is a Principal Investigator/Member at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, a nonprofit, multidisciplinary, basic research institute devoted to the study of smell, taste and chemical irritation. Dr. Dalton received her PhD from New York University and her Masters degree in Public Health from Drexel University. Her research program explores the human response to odors, incorporating both sensory and cognitive experimental approaches. Her work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, with additional funding from the DOD, private foundations and industry collaborations. The research she conducts utilizes precision olfactometry, laboratory chamber studies and field studies to investigate a variety of topics in chemosensation, including how our emotions and behavior are shaped by the olfactory world around us.

Dr. Dalton was the team leader for the Olfaction domain of the NIH Toolbox and a member of the Sensory Functioning Team (Taste and Olfaction) in the National Children’s Study Scientific Committee for Health Measurement. More recently, she led a team to develop SCENTinel, a rapid smell test for COVID-19 surveillance. She is a consultant to many groups in the chemical, food, household products, and fragrance industries, as well as government and community organizations involved in odor issues.