Research Team
Prof. Glen Jeffery
Khorshid Meihami
Nicholas Witton
Mark Robinson
Professor of Neuroscience
Architect - researcher
researcher
researcher
Glen Jeffrey is a Professor of Neuroscience at University College London whose work covers retinal structure, brain development and visual neuroscience. His recent research focuses on preventing age-related macular degeneration by studying how ageing reduces mitochondrial energy production in retinal cells, leading to vision loss. His lab has shown that exposure to red and near-infrared light at specific times can improve mitochondrial efficiency and restore retinal function. This simple, low-cost and safe intervention may help preserve and improve vision in ageing populations.
Architect and researcher with 20+ years of experience in architecture and design. Currently pursuing a PhD at University College London (UCL), focusing on the effects of near-infrared (NIR) on human well-being in the built environment. This research explores how lighting at different wavelengths can impact different health metrics, particularly in extreme environments like the International Space Station (ISS). This interdisciplinary work bridges architecture, space science, and human biology to find innovative ways to support human life beyond Earth.
Nicholas researches how daylight affects sleep and circadian rhythms, including sleep architecture, jet lag and cognition. He is a Doctoral researcher at UCL studying non-image-forming light and its effects on human performance and circadian responses in workplaces, with a focus on near-infrared light and mitochondrial mechanisms in humans and flies. He holds a Master’s in Sleep Medicine from Oxford, where he studied daylight exposure and cognition in office workers. He also teaches at UCL and contributes to research and advisory roles on light and sleep.
Mark is a researcher with interests in the response of biological systems to broad-spectrum light and the public health implications of indoor LED lighting. He collaborates with the Jeffery Lab at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology on several of its current projects, and holds dual MScs in Applied Neuroscience from King’s College London and Science Communication from Imperial College London.
Outside the lab, Mark has a career in infrastructure project development, project finance, and fundraising, with a particular interest in innovation finance and the public-private structures tto deploy and scale new technologies.