Sleep and Chronobiology MRes
1 Year Full-Time | September Start

Our programme will equip you with advanced skills in conceptualisation and implementation of Sleep Science and Chronobiology research.

In this programme, you will learn advanced and updated research skills and techniques, which will be put into practice to lead collaborative and individual pieces of research. You will have the opportunity to advance in your theoretical background from a foundation module on circadian rhythms and sleep and learn from specialists the current approaches to diagnosis and treatment of circadian and sleep disorders in a dedicated module.

Assessment is varied, either exam-based or through written assignments such as laboratory reports, data storytelling reports, presentations, conventional literature reviews and objective structured practical examinations. The final part of this MRes is the thesis module, an outstanding and unique feature of our programme, consisting of a research experience in the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research (NCSR) in partnership with other world-leading sleep and chronobiology research groups in the UK and abroad. 

Our staff are active researchers; passionate about their subject and dedicated to the discovery of new knowledge through innovative and exciting research projects.

You will learn from those at the forefront of their fields. In fact, our strength in Psychology research has significantly increased, with Northumbria ranked top 20 in the UK for research which has outstanding reach and significant impact on individuals and communities (REF 2014).

You will learn from dedicated academics extensive research and teaching backgrounds. Current staff research projects include working memory, neurocognitive performance and function, psychobiological pathways and the psychobiology of stress and the nutritional influences on performance and mood.

You will learn in a professional research environment with access to state-of-the-art laboratories equipped with industry standard equipment. You will be able to collect and analyse your data using the most current software tools and will benefit from technology enabled learning with use of the eLearning Portal where electronic reading lists, lecture capture and online submission and feedback tools support your learning. 

You will be immersed in an active research environment with access to Northumbria’s innovative research centres including the Northumbria Sleep Research Laboratory (NSRL). With staff working at the cutting-edge of their fields in innovative research areas, there is nowhere better to hone your research skills. 

Research excellence is embedded at every stage of this course. Through research-orientated education and practical instruction you will develop the advanced research skills and critical evaluation techniques needed to conduct your own and collaborative research projects in the field of Sleep and circadian research from initial idea to dissemination of results. The core purpose of this MRes is to make you into a confident and skilled professional researcher. 

Staff are actively engaged in a wide range of research with Northumbria’s psychology research impact being rated 3* or 4*, representing outstanding or very considerable impact (REF 2021). 

This distinctive and specialist postgraduate course incorporates professional training and advanced study in sleep and circadian research and is designed to make you as employable as possible. 

We provide you with an authentic learning experience, enabling you to work in a professional research environment. You will have the invaluable opportunity to work on a research placement with an academic researcher from the Department of Psychology, collaborating with this member of staff, their research partners and research groups to design, develop and implement a research project based on shared interests and enabling you to gain the applied research and team working skills that are desired by employers in the sector. 

The MRes Sleep and Chronobiology provides you with the advanced research experience, critical knowledge and transferable skills to enable you to plan, execute, analyse and disseminate high-quality sleep and circadian research. 

You will graduate as a trained sleep and circadian researcher fit for employment in professional research settings, enterprising and entrepreneurial activity or further study. Many of the previous graduates in the Department of Psychology have continued to build on their research interests by going on to PhDs or followed careers in the industry, clinical settings and in the NHS.