Melanie Köhler

Dr. Melanie Köhler is a TUM Junior Fellow and leads the Junior Research Group 'Mechanoreceptors' at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB@TUM). Her interdisciplinary research bridges biophysics and food science, with a focus on understanding the molecular basis of oral texture perception (mouthfeel). She holds a PhD in Biophysics from Johannes Kepler University Linz (2016) and completed postdoctoral research at UCLouvain in Belgium (2016-2022).

Dr. Köhler's research interests center on applying atomic force microscopy (AFM) to food systems biology. She combines experimental biophysics with food chemistry and biology to establish a new research platform for understanding how texture creates flavor. Her work specifically investigates mechanoreceptors involved in mouthfeel, their interplay with taste receptors, and how food constituents affect texture perception. This integrative approach opens new pathways for therapeutic innovation and the rational design of food ingredients that promote health through nutrition and sensory perception.

Her recent publications demonstrate a shift from virus-host interactions toward food science applications, with key papers in Journal of Structural Biology, Nano Letters, and an upcoming publication in Nature Food. This reflects her strategic pivot to apply biophysical techniques to food systems biology, creating a novel research niche at the intersection of these fields.

• Nestlé Award for Excellence in Flavor Science (2023)
• Leibniz Junior Research Group grant (2022)
• Cover picture in Nanoscale Horizons (2024)
• 3rd Prize Poster award at Linz Winter Workshop (2024)
• Selected for Leibniz Association Mentoring Programme for Female Scholars (2023-2024)

Dr. Köhler currently supervises 2 PhD students and 3 MSc students at Leibniz-LSB@TUM. Her lab is supported by multiple active grants including a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (2025), a Leibniz Collaborative Excellence grant (2024), and her Leibniz Junior Research Group grant (2022). Her research program aims to develop novel low-fat yet tasty foods that promote healthy eating behaviors while establishing biophysics as a core methodology in nutritional sciences.

Her research group 'Mechanoreceptors' employs high-throughput atomic force microscopy combined with advanced microscopy techniques, mechano- and cell biology, food chemistry, bioinformatics, and human sensory analysis to discover how texture makes flavor. This multidisciplinary approach positions her lab at the forefront of food systems biology research.