Julie A. Mennella, Ph.D.
- The University of Chicago, Ph.D.
Dr. Julie Mennella's major research interest is the ontogeny of taste and smell preferences in humans.
Her research areas include the transfer of flavors from the mother's diet to both amniotic fluid and
mother's milk; the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on women's health and infant nutrition and
behavior; and the role of genetics and early experiences on the establishment of long-term flavor
preferences and food habits.
Dr. Mennella is a Member and the Director of Education Outreach at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a non-profit basic research institute in Philadelphia. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Behavioral Sciences at The University of Chicago. At Monell, in addition to her research, she directs a program that aims to encourage under-represented minority high school and undergraduate students to pursue careers in science and medicine.
Dr. Mennella is the recipient of grants from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and she is the author or co-author of numerous research papers which have appeared in publications such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatric Research and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
