Namni Goel

I am Professor and Director for Adult Chronobiology Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of Adult Chronobiology and Sleep Medicine, Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory at Rush University Medical Center. Prior to joining Rush, I was on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. I have a PhD in Biological Psychology from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. I completed my postdoctoral training in Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and at Cornell University Medical Center.

Throughout my career, as a broadly trained biological psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist, I have been investigating individual and group differences in how genetic, “omics”, physiological, behavioral, hormonal and environmental factors relate to resilience and vulnerability in sleep-wake functions, stress, and circadian rhythm physiology and I have been investigating their role as biomarkers. I am interested in how these factors uniquely regulate eating behavior (including time-restricted eating and delayed eating), cardiometabolic health factors and neurobehavioral performance and mood. I have over 130 publications related to this multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary sleep and circadian-related research, and have given over 160 national and international invited talks. My research is currently or has been funded by federal grants from NASA, NIH, and the DoD.

I am a Past President of the Sleep Research Society (President, 2022-2024) and sat on its Board of Directors (2018-2025) and on its Executive Committee (2020-2025). In addition, I am a former President of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (2008-2010) and served on its Board (2001-2013). I also am a former President of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (2024-2025) and sat on its Board of Directors (2020-2025) and served on the Center for Environmental Therapeutics Board (2013-2018).

I have sat on National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration committees. I am a Review Editor for Front. Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics and sit on the Editorial Boards of Chronobiology Intl., J Neurology Res., J Circ. Rhythms, and Biological Rhythm Res. I was an Associate Editor of SLEEP (2012-2022), an Academic Editor of PLOS ONE (2010-2023) and was on the editorial boards of J Sleep Disorders: Treatment and Care (2012-2019), Sci Rep. (2016-2025) and Healthcare (2020-2023). I have been a grant reviewer for NASA, NIH, DoD and international grant organizations.