ACU Researcher

Areas of expertise: sensory marketing; consumer psychology; consumer behaviour; immersive technologies; marketing and biometric analytics; sustainable consumption; social impact; quantitative research; experimental methods

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: HDR Supervisor (Provisional)

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6069-1673

Email: [email protected]

Location: ACU North Sydney Campus

Usha Pappu is a marketing researcher specialising in sensory marketing, consumer psychology, immersive technologies and marketing analytics. Her research examines how sensory cues—including smell, touch, sound and visual imagery—shape emotion, cognition, decision-making and behaviour. She applies this expertise to social, technological and sustainability challenges. Dr Pappu holds a PhD in Marketing from The University of Queensland and is a Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) with the Australian Marketing Institute.

Usha’s interdisciplinary research brings together marketing, psychology, health, information technology and social-impact research. She studies consumer behaviour in sustainable consumption, food-waste reduction, cultured-meat acceptance, charitable giving, service experiences, digital safety and gender equality. Her work focuses on the ethical design of AI-enabled and immersive experiences, and on how sensory and emotional mechanisms can support wellbeing, prosocial action and sustainable choices.

In 2026, Usha co-authored “Spice It Up: The Impact of Spiciness and Arousal on Cultured Meat Consumption” in the International Journal of Consumer Studies (ABDC A). The study shows that spicy sensory descriptors can increase consumers’ willingness to try cultured meat through emotional arousal.

In 2026, Usha (lead investigator) and her multidisciplinary team received external funding for their Sensory Awe and Gratitude Experience (SAGE) in Aged Care project from the Good Death Impact Network Innovation Fund. With collaborators in health sciences, positive psychology, and information technology, the project examines how sensory experiences of awe and gratitude may support connection, dignity, meaning, and well-being in aged-care settings. This research was accepted for presentation at the 2026 Alliance for Social Impact conference, Purpose to Impact: Bridging Research, Policy and Enterprise for Social Good, at The University of Queensland.

In 2023, Usha published in the European Journal of Marketing (ABDC A*) on motivational differences in the need for smell, contributing to research on sensory perception, hedonic and utilitarian needs for smell, consumer emotions, and decision-making.

In 2019, Usha received the ANZMAC Layton Dissertation Award for the best marketing PhD thesis in Australasia.

From 2017 to 2018, Usha received the ANZMAC Best Paper Award and two ANZAM Highly Commended Paper awards. Her work on sensory perception, sustainable consumption, consumer emotion and social impact has been presented at national and international conferences, including ANZMAC and the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).

Usha leads and contributes to interdisciplinary projects on AI for social good, technology-facilitated abuse, sustainable consumption and sensory experiences. Her research uses experimental and survey methods, advanced quantitative analysis, consumer analytics, scale development, immersive technologies and, where appropriate, biometric and physiological measures. She is an ACU-accredited HDR supervisor and welcomes doctoral research enquiries in consumer behaviour, sensory and immersive marketing, AI-enabled experiences, sustainability, aged care, digital safety and social-impact research.

Select publications

• Pappu, U. L., Popkowski Leszczyc, P. T., Pappu, R., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2023). Motivational differences in need for smell. European Journal of Marketing, 57(2), 505–534. ABDC A*.
• Duong, C., Pappu, U. L., Sung, B., & Septianto, F. (2026). Spice It Up: The Impact of Spiciness and Arousal on Cultured Meat Consumption. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 50(2), e70197. ABDC A.
• Pappu, U. L., & Popkowski Leszczyc, P. T. L. (2026). Visualising Generosity: The Sound of Giving. ANZMAC Conference: Marketing in the Age of Plenty, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Pappu, U.L., Buys, L., Dicke, T., Shafiabady, N., & Popkowski Leszczyc, P. T. L. (2026). Sensory Awe and Gratitude Experience (SAGE) in Aged Care, Alliance for Social Impact Conference: Purpose to Impact: Bridging Research, Policy and Enterprise for Social Good, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
• Laukkanen, L., & Pappu, U. L. (2027). Sensory Research in Information Systems. 60th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-60), Hawaii, United States.

Projects

Sensory Awe and Gratitude Experience in Aged Care

• Role: Lead Investigator
• Funding: Good Death Impact Network Innovation Fund
• An interdisciplinary project investigating how sensory experiences of awe and gratitude may support connection, dignity, meaning and wellbeing in aged-care settings.

Sensory Communication and Charitable Giving

• Role: Lead Investigator
• Funding: ACU Early Career Researcher Grant
• Research area: Prosocial behaviour, sensory marketing, emotion and charitable giving.
• This project examines how sensory cues and emotional experiences can encourage ethical charitable giving and prosocial behaviour.

AI-SAFE: Preventing Technology-Facilitated Abuse

• Role: Co-Investigator and Co-Author
• Funding: ACU Faculty Research Discovery Grant
• Research area: Artificial intelligence, digital safety, gender equality and social impact.
• This interdisciplinary project develops research-informed approaches to understanding and preventing technology-facilitated abuse in AI-enabled environments.

Invest in Safety: Economic Participation and Gender-Based Violence

• Role: Co-Investigator and Co-Author
• Funding: ACU Faculty Research Discovery Grant
• Research area: Gender equality, social enterprise, economic participation and social impact.
• This project investigates how interpersonal and gender-based violence affects women’s economic participation and identifies pathways for safer and more inclusive organisational, social-enterprise and policy responses.

Need for Touch and Motivational Patterns

• Role: Collaborator and Co-Author
• Funding: University of Eastern Finland Research
• Research area: Consumer heterogeneity in autotelic and instrumental need-for-touch motives.
• This project investigates consumer differences in touch motivation, distinguishing hedonic or autotelic touch from engagement, assurance, indifference, and avoidance need for touch and examines implications for consumer behaviour and digital and immersive sensory marketing.

Awards

• 2019 – ANZMAC Layton Dissertation Award, Best Marketing PhD Thesis in Australasia.
• 2018 – ANZMAC Best Paper Award.
• 2017–2018 – Two ANZAM Highly Commended Paper Awards, Asia-Pacific Symposium on Emotions in Worklife.
• 2016 – Australian Research Council Linkage PhD Scholarship.
• 2015 – Dean’s Commendation for Academic Excellence in Master’s thesis, The University of Queensland.

Appointments

• 2026 - 2027 - Evaluator, Doctoral Programme for Advancing Forest-Based Bioeconomy (DP-FOBI) Committee, University of Eastern Finland. This role involves assessing interdisciplinary doctoral research and research proposals in forest-based bioeconomy, contributing to innovation and knowledge development.
• 2027 – Co-Chair, Sensory Research Track, 60th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-60), Hawaii, United States.
• 2027 - Professional Member and Certified Practising Marketer (CPM), Australian Marketing Institute.

Professional associations

• Certified Practising Marketer (CPM), Australian Marketing Institute
• Member - Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC)
• Member - Association for Consumer Research (ACR)
• Member - American Marketing Association (AMA)
• Member - International Society for Research on Emotions (ISRE)
• Member - UQ Research Methods Group
• Member - BIOPAC Systems

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