Manuel Spitschan

Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Chronobiology & Health at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), holding a joint appointment with the Max Planck Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. His research focuses on light’s effects on human physiology and behavior, particularly circadian rhythms, sleep, and light perception mechanisms. He has pioneered interdisciplinary approaches combining chronobiology with advanced light measurement techniques.

• Education: BSc Psychology (University of St. Andrews), PhD (University of Pennsylvania), Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University (2016–2017)
• Roles: Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow (2017–2021), University Research Lecturer (2020–2021)

His research interests span circadian neuroscience, light exposure’s physiological impacts, and human-centric lighting design. He leads the Interdisciplinary Human Circadian Daylight Platform and the NETIAS CAT Group 'Light and Health'. Key contributions include studies on melanopsin’s role in non-visual light responses and the development of wearable light measurement tools like the Light-Dosimeter.

Publications emphasize light’s effects on melatonin, sleep quality, and mood, with recent work exploring light therapy, circadian interventions, and light exposure’s behavioral determinants. Awards include the David Marr Medal (2023) for outstanding contributions to vision science.

Advising and grants highlight his role in advancing chronotherapeutic mobile health interventions and collaborative projects in light dosimetry. His lab integrates experimental physiology, computational modeling, and field studies to address real-world health applications of light exposure science.