Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Gooley, Joshua J

Students

Jordan Ma

Yichen Zhu

Teo Kai Qin

Staff

Tan Mei Yun Merlyn

Charmaine Sak Hao-Yean

Richelle Tham Yuk Ting

Toh Ping Ting

Wong Jia Yi, Jaye

Tan Hong Min

Gooley, Joshua J

Associate Professor

joshua.gooley@duke-nus.edu.sg

PhD Harvard University, USA

 

Dr. Gooley joined Duke-NUS Medical School in 2008 as an Assistant Professor in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program. He is Principal Investigator of the Chronobiology and Sleep Laboratory, located in the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit at Singapore General Hospital. In 2005, he received his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard Medical School (HMS), where he studied neural pathways that mediate entrainment of circadian rhythms. During his postdoctoral fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, USA) and HMS, his research focused on effects of light on circadian rhythms and melatonin secretion. His current research program at Duke-NUS focuses on understanding the role of sleep and circadian rhythms in regulating human performance and physiology.

Jordan Ma

PhD Student

B. Sc. (Hons) Life Sciences
National University of Singapore, Singapore

 

I am interested in analysing large datasets to gleam for useful information. Here, I am using information collected by the Institute for Applied Learning Sciences and Educational Technology (ALSET) to study how university students' activity patterns relate to their sleep and cognitive outcomes. Oh and I play games in my free time.

Yichen Zhu

PhD Student

e0762303@u.duke.nus.edu

B.A. (Hons) Molecular and Cell Biology
(conc. Neurobiology)
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

 

The brain is a fascinating organ and there is so much unknown about it. Sleep is such an important behavior for wellness yet there are many obstacles to achieving adequate quality and quantity. Combining my interest in neuroscience and health, I would like to investigate how sleep and wellness are closely related and how sleep could be a prophylactic and/or therapeutic medicine, hopefully contributing to the sleep health awareness.

Teo Kai Qin

PhD Student

MEng. (Hons) Aeronautical Engineering
Imperial College London, United Kingdom

 

We spend a third of our lives sleeping, yet much about sleep remains poorly understood. As an MD student, my interests lie in sleep and chronobiology, with a focus on translating scientific insights into meaningful improvements in patient care and overall wellbeing. Outside of research and medicine, I enjoy the challenge and contemplative nature of film photography.

Tan Mei Yun Merlyn

Research Associate

merlyn.tan@duke-nus.edu.sg

B.Sc. (Hons) Biological Sciences
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

M.Sc. Biomedical and Health Sciences
Monash University, Australia

 

Sleep is a precious commodity for the living yet there is so much that we have yet to understand about it. Given that I have written my previous thesis in Sleep Science (specifically on a novel clinical treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea), seeing actual patients opened up my eyes and I decided to pivot away from neuroscience to sleep science, making this my main area of interest. Hence, I want to investigate how sleep impacts our daily lives from mood to mental health to learning through research under CSL and Joshua Gooley.

Charmaine Sak Hao-Yean

Research Assistant

shy.charmaine@duke-nus.edu.sg

B.Soc.Sci (Hons) Psychology; Minors in Forensic Science and Interpreting
National University of Singapore, Singapore

 

Sleep is a quiet yet powerful determinant of both psychological and physical health. As my interests lie in forensic psychology, comorbidity between mental health disorders, and adolescent mental health, I am intrigued by how sleep disturbances and circadian misalignment intersect with these domains within the lab's current research focus. Outside of research, I enjoy Chinese-English translation and interpreting, which has further strengthened my interest in precise communication across disciplines.

Richelle Tham Yuk Ting

Research Assistant

richelle.tham@nus.edu.sg

B.Sc. (Hons) Life Sciences
National University of Singapore, Singapore

 

Like many people, I've experienced how disrupted sleep and affect mood, focus, and daily performance. This sparked my interest in sleep and chronobiology, particularly the way sleep interacts with mental health and cognitive processes such as attention and learning. Through my work in the lab, I hope to gain hands-on research experience while contributing to studies that advance our understanding of sleep's role in our daily functioning and long-term wellbeing.

Toh Ping Ting

Research Assistant

tohpingting@nus.edu.sg

B.Sc. (Hons) Life Sciences; Minor in Philosophy
National University of Singapore, Singapore

Sleep is arguably a key factor in human performance. Examining sleep is thus essential for any sort of holistic study of human performance. With my research interest in human performance and neuroscience, and having examined heat stress on the CNS for my undergraduate thesis, CSL now provides a good bridge between what I know and what I want to know. Outside of work, I enjoy reading and rock-climbing!

Wong Jia Yi, Jaye

Research Assistant

jaye.wong@nus.edu.sg

B.Soc.Sci (Hons) Psychology
National University of Singapore, Singapore

My interest in clinical work exposed me to the prevalence of disordered sleep among individuals with mental health challenges. This inspired me to explore the topic of unhealthy sleep patterns through research. Outside of work, I enjoy climbing and travelling to scenic destinations, especially those that offer breathtaking sunsets.

Tan Hong Min

Research Assistant

hongmintan@nus.edu.sg

B.Soc.Sci (Hons) Psychology
National University of Singapore, Singapore

Sleep is one of the first things we sacrifice when life gets busy, yet its consequences compound in ways we are only beginning to understand at a mechanistic level. This gap between how casually we treat sleep and how deeply it shapes our health is what draws me to the field. Through my work in the lab, I hope to deepen my understanding of the mechanisms underlying sleep and contribute to research that can shift how we, as a society, value and protect it.

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