Remco Havermans

Remco Havermans serves as Professor holding a special chair in Youth, Food, and Health at Maastricht University's Campus Venlo within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. He maintains dual appointments through the Laboratory of Behavioural Gastronomy at the Centre for Healthy Eating and Food Innovation and the Section Eating Disorders and Obesity in Clinical Psychological Science (Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience). His research program focuses on establishing healthier dietary habits in children through behavioral psychology approaches.

Havermans' expertise centers on the psychology of eating, specifically investigating why individuals consume certain foods with emphasis on taste perception mechanisms and eating behavior patterns. His work examines sensory experiences, satiation dynamics, learned food preferences, snack food appeal in relation to overweight, and public health interventions for obesity prevention. Key investigations include how boredom drives maladaptive eating, tactile sensitivity influences food rejection in children, and cultural contexts shape acceptance of novel foods like insect-based products.

Recent publication trends reveal concentrated exploration of behavioral gastronomy, sustainable food transitions, and pediatric nutrition challenges. His research bridges sensory science with public health, addressing food waste reduction in hospitals, chemosensory changes in pediatric cancer patients, and experiential nutrition education for children. Distinctive themes include the behavioral immune system's role in food refusal, personalized dietary strategies, and cross-cultural comparisons of health claim effectiveness.

As founder and research leader of the Laboratory of Behavioural Gastronomy, Havermans directs interdisciplinary teams developing evidence-based strategies for food acceptance and innovation. The laboratory's work integrates sensory evaluation, behavioral experiments, and real-world interventions to tackle contemporary nutrition challenges from childhood feeding to sustainable food systems.