معرفی
Dr Melinda Jackson is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University and a registered Psychologist specializing in sleep disorders. She holds an Honorary Research Fellowship at the Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health. Her research focuses on the impact of sleep loss and sleep disorders on cognition, mood, and brain health, with the goal of demonstrating how treating sleep disorders can improve cognitive function and wellbeing.
Her educational background includes a PhD in Neuropsychology from Swinburne University of Technology (2009), where her dissertation examined the effects of sleep deprivation on driving, cognition, and brain activity in professional drivers, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology/Psychophysiology from the same institution (2002).
Dr Jackson's research interests span memory impairment and neurodegeneration in obstructive sleep apnea, mild cognitive impairment and sleep, the impact of sleep loss on emotional processing and memory, clinical trials, and mindfulness interventions for insomnia. Her recent work has increasingly focused on the intersection of sleep disorders with conditions like dementia, long COVID, and mental health issues.
Analysis of her recent publications shows a strong trend toward translational research, with growing emphasis on digital interventions for sleep disorders, particularly for vulnerable populations including those with cognitive impairment and dementia. Her work also demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, bridging psychology, neurology, respiratory medicine, and public health.
- Active projects include 'Care to Sleep' (2025-2028), a digital sleep intervention for people with cognitive impairment
- 'Sound Asleep' (2024-2027), developing acoustic slow wave sleep enhancement for sleep apnea
- ARC Training Centre for Optimal Ageing (2023-2028)
Dr Jackson actively supervises PhD students and teaches PSY3120 Introduction to Counselling at Monash University. Her research has significant implications for understanding the connections between sleep health and cognitive wellbeing across the lifespan.
