Headspace Sensory Founder Avery Gilbert Quoted in mg Magazine

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, October 22, 2025 – Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. was featured in a new mg Magazine article on the science of cannabis aromas. The article is available here.

The piece, titled Unlocking the Science of Cannabis Aromas and Cold-Chain Preservation, interviews a number of industry professionals and explores their evolving understanding of aroma chemistry and sensory science. While the focus historically has been on terpenes, recent studies have identified low-abundance compounds that deliver signature aroma notes such as skunk, gas, tropical fruit, and cheese.

Expression of these distinctive scents are driven by strain genetics, growing conditions, and post-harvest curing methods. There is also another, often overlooked factor: cannabis, like fine wine, needs to be maintained at optimally cool temperatures, i.e., < 60°F. As the market grows in sophistication, cold chain management will become a key logistical factor.

In the article, Headspace Sensory’s Avery Gilbert notes that cannabis is beginning to resemble the fragrance industry. Plant breeders, cultivators, and producers are, like perfume designers, paying attention to the nuances of scent: how it is composed, how it unfolds over time and how it is best preserved. Gilbert speculates that the aesthetic potential of cannabis could be unlocked by blending—the deliberate combining of strains to achieve unique sensory profiles.

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Headspace Sensory Founder Avery Gilbert Appears on The Mary Jane Society Podcast

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, April 16, 2025 – Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. is featured in a new episode of The Mary Jane Society Podcast, hosted by Pam Chmiel. An audio version of the podcast is available here, and the video version here.

Their conversation covers a range of topics, including the design and merchandising of cannabis and cannabis-adjacent consumer products. Especially important is the emerging role of sensory evaluation in characterizing the aroma and taste of cannabis. Sensory assessment goes beyond QC—it reveals how consumers perceive and respond to the aesthetics of product, and is essential to successful product development and marketing.

Chmiel and Gilbert also discuss whether cannabis has a future as a luxury consumer product, like wine and perfume. While new cultivation and extraction technologies are improving product quality, branding and distinctiveness lag. Gilbert notes that blending of strains—analogous to blending grape varieties or tobacco stains—could unleash a torrent of creativity and innovation in the industry.

Both sensory awareness and luxury status require a knowledgeable consumer base and a well-trained retail sales force. This leads Chmiel and Gilbert to talk about the need for an authoritative descriptive vocabulary, or lexicon, to help guide consumers and let them converse with cannabis experts.

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New Presentation on Creating a Cannabis Aroma Lexicon

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, October 9, 2024 – A presentation on how to build an aroma lexicon for cannabis is now available online. The presentation was given last month at the American Chemical Society Fall Meeting in Denver by Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. and co-author Joseph A. DiVerdi, Ph.D. from Colorado State University’s Department of Chemistry.

“Chemists and sensory experts have made great strides recently in understanding the compounds that give cannabis strains their distinctive odor,” says Gilbert. “We used to think it was all about terpenes. But now we know that non-terpene molecules provide key aroma notes such as skunk, tropical fruit, and cheese. We are finally getting our arms around the full range of the cannabis odor spectrum.” 

As a result, says Gilbert, it is time for the cannabis industry to create an aroma lexicon or standardized vocabulary. “Smell is the most salient sensory feature of cannabis,” he says, “and an official lexicon would encourage better communication between experts and consumers, and between breeders and cultivators.”

He notes that official lexicons already exist for wine, beer, coffee, and tea.

The presentation is titled “How to Build an Aroma Lexicon for Cannabis,” and it covers the practical steps required, including selection of descriptive terms, identification of key aroma compounds, standardized sensory testing procedures, and the creation of an intuitive presentation format.

Free copies of the presentation can be downloaded here.

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New Paper on Cannabis Genetics and Aroma

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, October 28, 2022 – A new paper finds that genetically variant cannabis samples smell different than genetically consistent samples of the same strain. The paper, by Headspace Sensory founder Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. and researchers from the University of Northern Colorado, opens a new path toward understanding variability in cannabis aroma. 

“We know that strains have distinctive aroma profiles,” says Gilbert. “What this work demonstrates is that relatively minor genetic differences can alter that profile.”  

The research was part of a doctoral dissertation by lead author Anna Schwabe. She and her colleagues at UNC analyzed the cannabis samples for genetic consistency using 10 variable microsatellite DNA markers. Based on these results, samples were selected for odor evaluation by 55 sensory panelists in work carried out by Headspace Sensory’s Gilbert.

“The sensory results confirmed yet again that certain strain aroma profiles are consistent,” says Gilbert. “They also show that within-strain odor anomalies can be detected by untrained panelists.” According to Gilbert, the results highlight a need for the industry to involve consumers in a conversation about product quality, consistency, and sensory aesthetics.

The study was published online today in the open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology. Copies can be downloaded here.

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Avery Gilbert Quoted in Science News on the Skunky Notes in Marijuana

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, November 30, 2021 – Science writer Ariana Remmel has published a story in Science News on the new chemistry behind the skunky scent of marijuana. In it she describes the work of researchers led by an R&D team at Abstrax Tech in California and quotes Headspace Sensory found Avery N. Gilbert, Ph.D. regarding the significance of the findings. 

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