Smelly Research - An Unexpected Journey

Smelly Research - An Unexpected Journey

Professor Mark Moss' research journey spans thirty years and has taken him down a number of paths, many of which were as unexpected as they were fascinating.  He has often delighted in the observation that he spends his time on research that delivers knowledge that his grandmother could have told him! 

The golden thread of his research since the turn of the millennium has been wound around the potential for the aromas of essential oils to beneficially impact on the lives of healthy individuals. 

As you can imagine, given that the use of plant extracts and oils predates written history, the idea was not exactly his own.  Even within the timeframe of his research journey he must offer gratitude to many people for nudging him in the right direction, particularly with regard to which aromas to focus on and what outcomes to measure. 

In Professor Moss' inaugural lecture, he will cover six thousand years of history in a couple of minutes before near grinding to a halt to spend the rest of the lecture covering the aims, methods and findings of his research, diverging occasionally to wander down alternative avenues that his gregarious academic nature has led him. His lecture will pull together the threads to end with an indication of why his research barely scratches the surface of this fascinating field, and some suggestions for those who may follow this line of enquiry in the future.

About the Speaker

Professor Mark Moss is head of the Department of Psychology at Northumbria.

He is responsible for the strategic direction of the Division and oversees staffing and budgeting for all programmes of study. He teaches on the second year undergraduate Psychobiology Sensation and Perception module, undergraduate and Masters level research methods modules, and a final year alcoholism option.

Professor Moss was a founding member of the Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit (now the Brain Performance and Nutrition Research Centre) at Northumbria University. His main research interests relate to the modulation of cognitive function and mood through natural interventions, with a current focus on phyto-aromatics.