For our next talk, in the Digital Phenotyping seminar series, we will hear from Dr Rebecca Richmond, Senior Research Fellow in Molecular Epidemiology in the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, on Wednesday 11 June, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, at the Big Data Institute (BDI).
Title: Examining the causal role of circadian rhythms and sleep in physical and psychological health
Date: Wednesday 11 June 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Venue: BDI/OxPop, Seminar Room 0; followed by refreshments in the atrium
Abstract:
Circadian rhythms are endogenous near- 24-hour rhythms which regulate physiological processes. When healthy, they are entrained to the external world. When the circadian clock is misaligned, this manifests as disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle and sleep disorders. Poor sleep is a common phenomenon with approximately one third of adults reporting regular sleep problems. Sleep characteristics have been associated with a number of physical and mental conditions but whether this represents a causal role of sleep is often unclear. My research harnesses detailed sleep and circadian measures from self-reported questionnaires, 24-hour actigraphy and electronic health records in large-scale biobanks which can be linked with genomic and molecular data and disease outcomes. I use a range of methodologies (e.g. Mendelian randomization, longitudinal analyses, natural experiments, family-based designs) to evaluate the causal role of sleep and circadian rhythm disruption in the development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and some forms of cancer. My research also aims to uncover underlying molecular mechanisms and to identify potential public health, behavioural and therapeutic targets for intervention.
Bio:
I am a Senior Research Fellow in Molecular Epidemiology in the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol. I am currently undertaking a secondment as a Genomic Epidemiologist in the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre theme in “Better Sleep”. My research aims to: 1) highlight the relative importance and inter-relationships of sleep and circadian rhythms with other health behaviours for prioritization in disease prevention strategies and 2) identify molecular pathways which could serve as targets for intervention. My major areas of focus are on the large-scale integration of molecular data in population-based and clinical health science as well as the development and application of causal inference methods, including Mendelian randomization.
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