Prof George S. Brainard

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).

Talk Title: Light and Human Health

Light profoundly impacts consciousness through the stimulation of the visual system, and powerfully regulates circadian rhythms, hormones, and behavior in humans. These physiological effects of light have broad regulatory impact on virtually all tissues in the body. This presentation will address topics ranging from how light spectrum regulates the human pineal gland, how NASA has used that fundamental information to change the lighting onboard the International Space Station, and how advances are being made towards changing the lighting in places where we live, work, learn, and play. The door is open to understanding the impact of light on all levels of human health.