Prof. George S. Brainard (USA)
Director in the Light Research Program, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience Thomas Jefferson University
Biography
Dr Brainard’s academic work has been concerned with the effects of light on biological and behavioral responses of animals and humans for more than forty years. He has authored 130 original research articles and over 50 book chapters. He has written/edited 14 books or monographs including seven documents or standards for the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).
Dr Brainard has been the US Division Six Director (USNC/CIE) since 1992, chaired the IES Photobiology Committee for ten years, and is currently co-chair of the IES Light and Health Committee. Recently, he was named as an IES Fellow in 2019 and subsequently was awarded the IES Medal in 2021. Among a number of other awards, he has been honored with the Johnson Space Center Director’s Innovation Award (2015), the Research Award from the Professional Lighting Design Convention (2013), and the Research Award for Excellence on Photobiology, Photochemistry and Photophysics, from the American Society for Photobiology (2010).
His presentation at the CIE Scientific Conference will focus on “Light and Human Health,” exploring topics such as phototransduction, melanopsin, ipRGC, circadian rhythms, neuroendocrine and neurobehavioral effects, melatonin, human health, and implications for space flight.