Since 2002, Ann has served at the Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon, an off-campus Oregon State University Experiment Station, where she serves as the sensory program director. She assists industry clients with sensory and consumer testing and collaborates in mission-oriented research designed to advance Northwest agriculture and food products. Recent work includes: assessing acceptability of fresh vs. frozen black cod, coho salmon, sockeye salmon, scallops and albacore tuna; exploring the marketability of dulse seaweed; conducting shelf-life assessments of three frozen seafood species in home and commercial freezers; testing chefs’ perception of frozen vs. fresh seafood across the US testing factors affecting consumers’ preferences for and purchasing decisions regarding pasteurized vs. raw milk, washed rind and grassfed specialty cheeses; segmenting consumers based on food choice motivations and product benefit expectations involving kombucha; cross cultural acceptance and food neophobia studies of barley tea and kombucha in the US, Korea and Spain; defining market acceptance of US grown tea in Japan, Taiwan and Korea; investigating motivations for meat consumption/reduction relating to sustainability, environmental considerations, and demographics; testing Hispanic consumers on preferences for pear varieties and ripeness levels; consumer testing of novel edible film packaging; testing claims, marketing messages and market potential of hazelnut byproducts; using auction methodology to test how apple quality drives purchase behavior; consumer assessment of a novel product category – Pacific NW bigleaf maple syrup; consumer assessment of Oregon grown olive oil vs. foreign imports; evaluating consumer acceptability of new Northwest pear, blueberry and strawberry varietals; consumer detection and acceptability of reduced-sodium bread; analyzing marketing messages and consumer acceptance of Oregon Pinot Noir wine; and testing the product choice overload effect of IPA craft beer in stores, among others.