Stuart Peirson is Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Sir Jules Thorn Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institution (SCNi). He completed a PhD in Neuroscience on visual pigments and circadian biology at University College London in 2001. During his subsequent work at Imperial College, he contributed to the identification of the melanopsin pRGC system in humans as well as the characterisation of melanopsin signalling pathways. He was appointed as a Lecturer at Imperial College in 2005 before moving to the University of Oxford in 2006. His work has continued to focus upon characterising the signalling pathways mediating the effects of light on physiology and behaviour, with the aim of understanding mechanisms underlying sleep and circadian rhythm disruption.