Food Innovation
Dr Melissa Jordan
Science Team Leader
Kia ora, I am the Science Team Leader for Molecular Sensing. My research background is in insect chemosensory science, investigating the genes and proteins involved in the insect olfactory system – their sense of smell. Chemosensing, being able to sense and make sense of chemical stimuli from the environment, is an important modality for all organisms and is the driver of many behaviours and functions crucial for survival. Research into the chemosensory systems of insects and animals enables us to identify important chemical signals and understand how the perception of these signals can influence communication within and between species, detection of food sources and food liking, mate finding and reproduction, and physiological homeostasis. This knowledge can be used to support New Zealand’s horticultural, biosecurity, seafood and food industries. Research projects I've been involved in include identifying and characterising odorant receptors from the lepidopteran pest lightbrown apple moth and delving into the evolutionary origin of the odorant receptor gene family in Hexapods, using a New Zealand dragonfly and mayfly as example species. I have also been involved in projects developing biosensors based on insect odorant receptors and aptasensors using DNA aptamers. Currently I am exploring the chemosensory system of fish, specifically the expression and function of odorant and taste receptors, with a view to understanding their role in fish behaviour and physiology. I have expertise in the fields of molecular biology, genomics/transcriptomics, gene annotation, gene expression, protein expression, cell culture, cell-based reporter assays, and sensor development.
