Alisha Guyett is from the College of Medicine and Public Health and is one of the recipients for the 2025 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence and was supervised by Associate Professor Nicole Lovato, Professor Peter Catcheside and Dr Hannah Scott

Alisha’s thesis was titled ”

Applying Circadian-Informed Lighting to Accelerate Circadian Adjustment to Simulated Night Shifts”

We invited Alisha to share insights into her research, the enjoyable parts of the journey and advice to current students.

What is your research about?

This study examined whether specially timed, circadian-informed lighting can help night shift workers adjust their internal body clocks faster than standard lighting. It found that this lighting significantly accelerated circadian adaptation, suggesting it could improve performance, safety, and sleep in night work environments.

What does winning this award mean?

It’s a real honour and a nice recognition of the work that went into the PhD. More than anything, it reflects the support I had from my supervisors and collaborators, and I’m glad the research is seen as making a meaningful contribution to the field.

What has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey?

One of the most enjoyable parts has been networking at conferences—having the chance to share my work, hear different perspectives, and connect with others in the field. It’s been especially rewarding to build relationships and have informal discussions that often spark new ideas.

Where are you now?

I’m currently a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark, where I’m continuing my research on circadian rhythms.

What advice would you give to current or prospective PhD students?

Stay curious and be patient with the process—progress can feel slow at times, but that’s a normal part of research. I’d also encourage students to seek out opportunities beyond their immediate project, like conferences or collaborations, as those experiences can be just as valuable as the work itself.