Contact information
Research groups
Research groups
Sumathi Sekaran
Senior Research Scientist
- Deputy Course Director, Oxford Online Programme in Sleep Medicine
- Fellow by Special Election in Biomedical Sciences, St Catherine's College
After completing my PhD at Imperial College London in 2001, I entered the emerging research field of the melanopsin-expressing ganglion cell photoreceptors. These light sensitive retinal cells provide input to the circadian clock, located in the brain. The circadian clock sets the body's daily rhythms in alertness, metabolism, sleep and many other processes. I was subsequently appointed lecturer in Visual Neuroscience at Imperial College London in 2005 and soon after moved to the University of Oxford to take the position of Senior Research Scientist.
Currently I lead the Oxford Online Programme in Sleep Medicine. This part time online postgraduate course, which leads to a PGDip or MSc in Sleep Medicine, started in October 2016. This position has resulted in several educational leadership roles championing digital education and promoting inclusive educational practices.
I am also Fellow in Biomedical Sciences at St Catherine’s College where I teach biomedical and pre-clinical medicine undergraduate students.