Dale Rae PhD

Dr Rae is a Sleep Researcher at the Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and Director of Sleep Science at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. She obtained a PhD in Exercise Physiology from UCT in 2007 and has worked at UCT since 2008 lecturing to undergraduate (BSc physiology) and postgraduate (Exercise Science, Biokinetics, Sport and Exercise Medicine, and Sports Physiotherapy) students. Dr Rae’s research is in the field of Chronobiology, focusing on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in sport and health (with a particular emphasis on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)). She collaborates with local and international scientists investigating topics ranging from sleep deprivation and recovery in athletes; the behavioral and genetic aspects of chronobiology in sports performance; blue light exposure and resynchronization following jet lag; sleep and circadian rhythms as they relate to obesity and NCDs; the interaction between sleep and NCDs in shift workers; and understanding the sleep patterns and needs in rural and urban South Africans. Through Sleep Science, Dr Rae and her students can translate their research into best-practice interventions designed to make a difference in the sleep of the general public.