Martin Yeomans

Prof Martin Yeomans is a Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Sussex's School of Psychology, leading the Sussex Ingestive Behaviour Group. He has secured over £3 million in research grants since joining Sussex in 1989, with a focus on appetite regulation, taste-learning mechanisms, and the neurobehavioral impacts of diet. His work spans academic, industrial, and policy contexts, including collaborations with companies like Emteq on smart glasses technology.

• Education:
  • BSc (Hons) Applied Biology, University of Bath (1979–1983)
  • PhD Psychology, University of Edinburgh (1983–1987)

His research interests center on the physiological and cognitive controls of eating behavior, including studies on taste-reinforced learning, cross-modal interoception, and the effects of dietary components (e.g., caffeine, sugar) on memory and impulsivity. He actively collaborates with food and pharmaceutical industries, providing consultancy on sensory-physiology interactions and product development. Yeomans has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, 20 book chapters, and co-edited a book on Flavor, Satiety and Food Intake.

Grants and Projects:

• Innovate UK-funded project on smart glasses for appetite regulation (2024–2024)
• Australian Research Council: Regulation of desire by bodily state (2021–2024)
• Leverhulme Trust: Neural basis of odor-taste associations (2018–2022)
• BBSRC: Western-style diet effects on cognitive control (2015–2018) and flavor-based learning (2005–2008)

Advising and Teaching:

• Currently supervises 2 PhD students at Sussex and co-supervises others at collaborating institutions
• Teaches courses like Psychology of Appetite and Cognition in Clinical Contexts
• Runs weekly student drop-in sessions and Zoom office hours

Labs and Teams:

• Sussex Ingestive Behaviour Group (website and Twitter active)
• LeviSense project exploring levitating food and flavor perception
• Collaboration with Emteq on OCOsense smart glasses for dietary behavior tracking