Food Chemist Wins Top Honors in Annual ‘Dance Your PhD’ Contest: A Creative Celebration of Science and Art

A food chemist from the University of Helsinki recently won the 17th Dance Your PhD contest. His performance highlighted the unique feelings we get from certain foods, like the heat of capsaicin in chilies and the coolness of menthol in mint.

Sulo Roukka, who not only took home $2,750 (£2,070) for winning both the overall and chemistry categories, transformed from a lab assistant into a dynamic performer. In his music video, he dances with glittering backing dancers and even features his PhD supervisor, Mari Sandell.

Roukka expressed his excitement, saying he fulfilled a "Kylie Minogue fantasy." His research focuses on chemesthesis, which studies how chemicals activate our sensory receptors during eating. This year, the contest also introduced a special AI/quantum prize, won by Arfor Houwman from the University of Innsbruck for his 1980s dance music-inspired video on laser cooling of ultracold atoms.

The Dance Your PhD competition, run by Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, encourages graduate students to explain their research through dance. Categories include biology, chemistry, physics, and social sciences. Each category winner receives $750, while Roukka received an additional $2,000 for being the overall champion.

As dance trends continue to grow on social media, the intersection of science and dance may inspire new ways for researchers to communicate their work. Roukka’s engaging approach not only informs but also entertains, proving that science can be as dynamic as dance.

For more details about the competition and past winners, check out the official Dance Your PhD page.

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