Our research explores how internal biological clocks — circadian rhythms — shape physiology and behaviour across the 24-hour day. Circadian rhythms are fundamental to almost every aspect of health, influencing sleep, metabolism, cognition, and even how we respond to disease. While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus is known as the brain’s primary clock, it is now clear that extra-SCN oscillators exist throughout the brain and body, coordinating local physiology and gene expression in a tissue-specific manner.

The core question driving our work is:

How do extra-SCN circadian clocks control local physiology, gene expression, and function?

We currently focus on two main research areas:

Circadian control in the brainstem: We investigate how local clocks in brainstem nuclei regulate and regulated by feeding behaviour, energy balance, and gut–brain axis physiology, and how their disruption contributes to obesity.

Circadian regulation of pain: We study rhythmic processes within the nociceptive pathway to understand where and how circadian clocks modulate pain sensitivity — and whether these mechanisms can be targeted to alleviate chronic pain.

Our Approach

To address these questions, we use mouse models and a multidisciplinary toolkit, including:

• Gene expression analyses (qPCR, RNAscope, NanoString)

• Real-time monitoring of clock gene dynamics using the PER2::LUC reporter mouse and bioluminescence recording

• Electrophysiology in vitro and ex vivo to study neuronal activity across day and night

• Behavioural assessments of circadian rhythms in wheel running, feeding, and drinking