Dr. Anna M. Biller visits Stanford University for knowledge exchange
From March to May 2024, Dr. Anna M. Biller visited Stanford University for a 3-month visit. Read her report:
Between March and May 2024, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a research stay at Stanford University in Prof. Jamie Zeitzer’s lab (Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences), thanks to a scholarship from the TUM’s Staff Exchange Program. I learned more about the lab’s methods in human circadian and sleep research, as well as lab and people management. This included organising one’s own lab and experiencing a different academic environment in another country. Stanford is a prestigious place, and I was very impressed by the campus and the density of knowledge and opportunities available. However, I was also surprised by differences in funding structures and career opportunities. Scientifically, I spent a lot of time thinking about general concepts in sleep and circadian science, the fundamental questions we still need to address, and potential strategies for addressing them. I reflected on topics such as circadian amplitude and its measurement, chronotype, the structure and meaning of sleep architecture, and the morning awakening response. I benefited from the lab members' experience with temperature sampling using iButtons, as well as their expertise in saliva sampling, light exposure measurements, and actimetry. Discussions on gamification, long-term study adherence, and wearable integration were particularly helpful for my current long-term study (EcoSleep Project). I also greatly benefited from the valuable postdoc experiences of other lab members, sharing in our common struggles to balance research and private life, navigating job uncertainties, and gaining insights on how to apply for professorships and prepare essential documents
Here is a shoutout to all the fantastic people who generously donated their time:
• Prof. Jamie Zeitzer for the invitation, great scientific discussions, input, and help with my project.
• Dr. Jessie Cook for personal and mental support, exchanging ideas and tools for creating podcasts, discussions on athletic performance, and general psychological inspiration, as well as car support for weekend fun.
• Dr. Renske Lok for feedback on skin temperature sampling, discussions on sleep architecture and missing data imputation, and sharing cooking skills and a yoga mat.
• Dr. Maira Karan for her enthusiasm and optimism, love for science, a perfect hiking trip, and much laughter.
• Dr. Filipe Barata for not only sharing an office but also daily lunches, career advice, gamification ideas, critical feedback on my Schwitzerdütsch, and continuous bouldering support.
• Dr. Erin Flynn-Edwards and Dr. Cassie Hilditch for the opportunity to visit the Fatigue Countermeasure Lab at NASA.
I not only met great colleagues but certainly made new friends and simply had a fantastic time, thank you all so much. I’m very much looking forward to future collaborations and projects together.