Professor Russell Foster

Professor Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and Head of the Dept of Circadian and Visual Neuroscience; Nicholas Kurti Senior Fellow, Brasenose College and head of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford.

He is a graduate of the University of Bristol where he also gained his doctorate. His research has focused upon fundamental mechanisms in visual and circadian (body clock) neuroscience. A key focus of his work is to aim to enable human beings to cope with 24/7 in such a way that health and productivity are maximised. Enhancing industrial competitiveness, while at the same time improving individual quality of life and providing the best conditions for education, rests upon an understanding of the basic mechanisms of sleep and circadian cycles and their contribution to brain plasticity, learning and memory and their impact on waking performance.

His group has published over 140 papers on this topic. His work has been recognised with the Honma Prize (Japan); Zoological Society Scientific Medal (UK); Cogan Award (USA); and the Edridge-Green Medal (UK);