Pamela Dalton

Pamela Dalton is a cognitive psychologist. She has a Ph.D. in experimental psychology and a Masters in Public Health. Dalton is frequently quoted by the popular press as an authority on environmental odors. She has done extensive research in the fields of sick building syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity. In the past she has worked with the United States Department of Defense on nonlethal weapons development, or the enhancement of bad odors as weapons. She currently works at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. The contract for the NIH Toolbox for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function was initiated by the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research in 2006 to develop a set of state-of-the-art measurement tools to enhance collection of data in large cohort studies in biomedical research.

PTSD Dalton has extensively researched the relationship between smell and negative memories. She has conducted experiments showing that a strong odourant can turn even a mundane experience into a vivid and permanent memory. This research has important implications for studying and treating PTSD.

Stink bomb Dalton was asked by the United States military to design a "stink bomb" in 1998. Dalton discovered that culture and geography mediate the sense of smell. Despite this problem, she eventually discovered a universally hated smell and packaged it as "Stink Soup."