My interests lie in the domain of sleep research and sleep medicine. Within this broad domain, my specific research interests examine the interface between sleep and wake. This can go in a few directions:
Sleep and Health. I am interested in exploring the relationships among sleep, health and longevity, particularly by studying possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between sleep
duration and mortality. My belief is that sleep represents processes that are integral to the maintenance of health, and that healthy sleep is a necessary component of good overall health. Also, I believe that as sleep is disrupted, disruptions occur across a variety of waking functions. I am also interested in how sleep is related to mental health, obesity, diabetes, neurobehavioral
performance, neuropsychological functioning, cardiovascular health and other factors.
Sleep and Society. All people sleep. Sleep, like food, plays a vital role in both health and society / culture. I am interested in exploring how society views sleep as it relates to health and how these views translate into behaviors that improve and/or worsen sleep, and how this plays out in health. In particular, I am interested in how the social environment, biology and behavior interact with each other. Also, I have a particular interest in exploring health inequalities related to sleep.
Light and Biological Rhythms. I am interested in investigating the role of the circadian system in regulating health. This system is fairly well understood biologically, but there is still much work to be done in understanding how this complex system plays a role in health, particularly by exerting effects through
sleep and mood. I am particularly interested in exploring the role of light as a way to improve sleep and mood, particularly in aging, depressed, and general population
samples.
See a description of some of my current projects.
View a list of my publications.
Download copies of conference presentations.
Get involved in a research study.
Apply to work for me as a research assistant.
Read my CV for more information.
