Simon Niedenthal
Associate Professor/Professor

Presentation

The exploration of olfaction—the sense of smell—is having a golden moment. Perhaps never before in modern history have so many people been aware of the importance of intact olfaction to well-being; post-COVID 19 sensitivity to smell loss has given way to a new cultural landscape in which teen perfume reviewers on TikTok have gained remarkable influence, while companies like DoTerra, promoting essential oils for home use, have taken off. On the scientific front, we are continually being overtaken by new research that busts old myths about our sense of smell and opens new application areas for scent.

In this rich environment, I use play-centric, user-centred and speculative design frameworks to study olfaction in physical, digital and interactive environments. My aim is to contribute to new applications in the educational, rehabilitative, playful and aesthetic uses of scent.   My research group and I approach olfaction as a form of direct, immediate experience, embodied as a chemical sense, that at its core is uniquely human. Accordingly, we design for olfactory experiences that are materialised in many ways. We program, design and prototype novel olfactory technologies. Besides user-centered design techniques, we engage in speculative and participatory methodologies. We are among few in the world actively developing and playtesting scent-enabled games. We also conduct research that more properly could be considered social innovation, seeking ways in which to improve the lives of communities connected with scent materials (such as sandalwood), and supporting vulnerable and at-risk forestry resources.