Debra Skene, Professor of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Surrey, is internationally recognised for her discoveries into how the circadian timing system directs physiology and behaviour in healthy humans.
She was the first to show that exogenous melatonin can reset the free-running, non-24h rhythms in totally blind people leading to the development of the melatonin agonist Tasimelteon. Her work on light-induced suppression of pineal-dependent, melatonin production revealed the effectiveness of blue light. She demonstrated that blue-light could phase-advance the human clock, increase alertness, and improve mood. She demonstrated the relevance of these in-laboratory findings in co-operation with Philips Lighting resulting in a range of blue-enriched polychromatic lighting products significantly beneficial in the workplace, care homes and schools.