Derk-Jan Dijk

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Derk-Jan Dijk (born 1958 in Zwollerkerspel, Netherlands) is a leading sleep researcher. As of 2024 he is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Surrey and the director of its Sleep Research Centre.

Education and early career
He studied biology at the University of Groningen, earning a BSc and MSc (cum laude). He received his PhD in 1988 at Groningen, focusing on sleep regulation. He then did a postdoc in Zurich with Alexander Borbely and was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, working with Charles Czeisler at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Return to Surrey
In 1999 he joined the University of Surrey. He founded the Surrey Sleep Research Centre in 2003 and remains its director. He became a Professor of Sleep and Physiology in 2005. He served as Associate Dean for Research (2013–2015) and led Sleep-Wake Research in the university’s Clinical Research Centre.

Editorial work and public presence
From 2009 to 2016 he was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sleep Research. He sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Rhythms. In 2021 he spoke about his work on BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific.

Research focus
Dijk studies how sleep and circadian rhythms are regulated and how they affect thinking and health. He looks at how sleep changes with age and how light and the environment influence the clock. He also investigates why people have different preferred sleep times and how genes play a role. He works as a consultant to pharmaceutical and lighting companies.

Awards and honors
He is a Fellow of the Society of Biology and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2013 and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Sleep Research Society in 2015.