CHRONOBIOLOGY: (Symposium session) Illuminating shift work: Innovative strategies for sleep, nutrition, and team performance in 24/7 operations
Tracks
Track 1
| Friday, October 10, 2025 |
| 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Hall L |
Details
This session brings together some of the leading evidence-based and intervention-based shiftwork research from a cross-section of leading Australian Researchers. Each year, the sleep loss and body clock disruption caused by night work cost the economy $2–3 billion in lost productivity, impaired well-being, and poor health. Current regulations limit sequences of night shifts to a maximum of four in a row. However, recent research suggests this blanket limit may be a well-intentioned but ill-informed policy. As a result, we may be inadvertently increasing, rather than reducing, work-related fatigue.
Speaker
Assoc Prof Grace Vincent
Associate Professor
Central Queensland University
"No one told us how to manage shiftwork”: Tailored sleep, nutrition, and movement strategies for young workers
3:30 PM - 3:45 PMBiography
I am an Associate Professor at CQUniversity’s Appleton Institute. My mission is to help Australia’s workers get better sleep by collaborating with researchers and industry to create healthier and safer workplaces.
My research program focuses on three key areas: improving sleep and health in workplace settings, understanding how physical activity and diet influence sleep, and developing behavioural interventions to promote better sleep health.
Prof Charli Sargent
Professorial Research Fellow
Appleton Institute for Behavioural Science / CQ University
The effect of ambient light intensity on circadian adaptation to night work
3:45 PM - 4:00 PMBiography
Charli is a Professor at the Appleton Institute for Behavioural Science, CQUniversity. Since completing her PhD in 2006, Charli has been involved in three major areas of research (i) field-based studies examining factors that affect sleep and recovery in high performance athletes, (ii) laboratory-studies examining the relative impacts of sleep, wake and body clock on human health and performance, and (iii) validation studies examining the ability of wearable devices to monitor sleep.
Prof Siobhan Banks
Professor
University of South Australia
Sleep loss during shiftwork and the impact on team dynamics
4:00 PM - 4:15 PMBiography
Siobhan Banks is a Professor of Psychology at UniSA and Director of the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre. Her research focuses on the interactions between biology, behaviour, and technology. She collaborates with 24/7 industries like healthcare, transportation, defence, and aerospace to enhance individual and team performance, health and well-being. She has received over $21M in research funding, awarded the 2019 Australian Council Graduate Research Award for Industry Engagement and was a 2021 finalist for the Australian Defence Magazine Women in Defence Awards – R&D Category.
Dr Charlotte Gupta
Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Appleton Institute
Chrononutrition for alertness during shiftwork
4:15 PM - 4:30 PMBiography
Charlotte is a senior postdoctoral research fellow at the Appleton Institute at CQUniversity. Charlotte’s research investigates the optimal timing of sleep and nutrition, particularly for those working non-standard hours, such as shiftworkers. Charlotte is passionate about improving sleep health in Australia, and her research on sleep and meal timing has informed practice and policy for shiftworkers.
Prof Greg Roach
Professor
Central Queensland University
Use of personal lighting technologies to aid adaptation to night work
4:30 PM - 4:45 PMBiography
Dr Ian Dunican
Chief Adviser
Melius Consulting
Chair
Biography
Prof Charli Sargent
Professorial Research Fellow
Appleton Institute for Behavioural Science / CQ University
Chair
Biography
