Dr Alice S French

Through my research, I hope to understand why we sleep and whether functions are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. In other words, do all animals sleep for the same reasons? 

Sleep no doubt serves an absolutely fundamental purpose yet the loss of consciousness associated with it poses problems in terms of vigilance. I am fascinated by the strategies employed by different species which enable them to sleep, yet retain a level of environmental surveillance. Specifically, I study how sensory systems selectively pass-through information to arousal centres, a mechanism which enables animals to benefit from the restorative properties of sleep, yet wake-up upon detection of salient stimuli.