Robert Stickgold
Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry
Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Director, Center for Sleep and Cognition, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Awarded in celebration of the life and work of Dr. Robert Stickgold and his pioneering research advancing our understanding of the importance of sleep and dreaming in the evolution of memories and optimization of cognitive performance. For decades, the field has benefited from Dr. Stickgold’s exceptional ability to understand the full spectrum of sleep medicine–from neural circuitry to human behavior–and his ability to leverage his knowledge of basic science to advance big picture concepts and theories. Dr. Stickgold’s collegial and collaborative spirit enhances his legacy as a world-renowned scientist, educator, mentor, colleague, and friend.
Dr. Stickgold’s notable areas of scientific contributions include:
- Establishing our understanding of sleep-dependent memory processing across all stages of memory encoding and development.
- Investigating the functional role of dreams and dreaming — especially with relation to memory processing and consolidation – culminating in his Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities (NEXTUP) model of dreaming.
- Tantalizing research in the topography and timing of sleep spindles and slow waves and their relationship with memory function.
- Advancing understanding of a variety of psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders, such as schizophrenia and obstructive sleep apnea, through his clinical-translational drive to apply his research and discoveries.
- Inspiring generations of sleep researchers as a scientific communicator and ambassador of sleep who has sparked a general interest in sleep in countless individuals.