World of Coffee San Diego 2026

Lik Xian Lim
Post Doctoral Scholar
UC Davis


Lik Xian Lim, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, specializing in sensory science and its application to food and beverage innovation. Since 2017, he has been a key researcher at the UC Davis Coffee Center, where his work has examined topics including water pulsing duty cycles in coffee extraction, cold brew coffee, coffee?food pairings, sensory quality and consumer behavior. Beyond coffee, his expertise extends to wine and alternative proteins. His research in wine focuses on smoke taint and mouthfeel characterization, while his work in food systems explores the sensory perception of emerging protein sources. Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating chemistry, sensory science, and consumer research, Lik applies sensory insights as a strategic driver of value creation, defining clear sensory objectives early in product development to guide formulation, experimental design, and processing decisions across coffee, wine, and food systems.

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