Previously, John worked with Valerie Duffy at UConn; his dissertation looked at how individual differences, like genetic variation in taste, influence food and beverage intake. John also has an ongoing interest in human response to capsaicin, having worked with Harry Lawless at Cornell and Barry Green at the JB Pierce Lab studying taste and oral burn (hence the habaneros). John's industrial experience includes having been a sensory scientist at DigiScents, a tech startup that was building a computer-based smell output device, and two internships at Wyler's.