David F. Dinges

Who is David F. Dinges?

David F. Dinges is a major American sleep researcher and teacher.

He is Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, Chief of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology in the Department of Psychiatry, and Associate Director of the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dinges earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Experimental Physiological Psychology from Saint Louis University.

Dinges has served as President of the Sleep Research Society, on the Boards of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation, as President of the World Federation of Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine Societies and as Editor-in-Chief of SLEEP, the leading scientific journal on sleep research and sleep medicine.

His laboratory studies the physiological, cognitive and functional changes resulting from sleep loss in humans. His research has primarily focused on the manner in which sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythmicity control cognitive, affective, behavioral, endocrine and immunological processes. Dinges' work has contributed to our knowledge of the effects of sleep disorders, the recovery potential of naps, the nature of sleep inertia and the impact of cumulative sleep debt. He has developed technologies for monitoring human neurobehavioral capability, such as his patented Psychomotor Vigilance Test.