Suggestions
Rachel Markwald
Senior (Supervisory) Research Physiologist, CREW Program Lead
Rachel Markwald is a Senior (Supervisory) Research Physiologist and CREW Program Lead at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California.1 She specializes in military commercial wearable use, sleep and circadian physiology, fatigue management, and human performance optimization.1
Dr. Markwald has an extensive background in sleep research:
- She earned her PhD in Sleep and Circadian Physiology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010.1
- She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, studying the impact of cumulative sleep loss on energy expenditure, eating behavior, and cognition.1
- From 2011 to 2015, she worked as a Sleep Research Scientist at Leidos, focusing on cognitive impairment during sleep loss and fatigue management during sustained operations.1
Since joining the Naval Health Research Center in 2015, Dr. Markwald has made significant contributions:
- She has been involved in developing fatigue monitoring and management strategies for the U.S. Navy.2
- Her work includes research on using physiological monitoring devices and biomathematical models to track and manage fatigue in naval operations.2
- She provides education on sleep and circadian rhythms to enhance job performance and health in military settings.35
Dr. Markwald has received several awards for her work, including:
- Civilian of the Year - Junior Science Division (2022)1
- Civilian of the Year - Senior Science Division (2023)1
- Outstanding Team Research Accomplishment from the Military Health Systems Research Symposium (2023)1
- Meritorious Service Medal (2024)1
Her recent research focuses on improving sleep conditions for sailors, including studies on shipboard infrastructure and interior design to promote better sleep quality.45
Highlights
As a sleep scientist studying the role of sleep in human performance optimization, I am slightly horrified to learn that the Olympic athletes (who have trained tirelessly for years) have been given cardboard beds again (with firm mattresses according to some athletes - rock hard even on the soft module) and no AC. Yikes!
Another one to share! This manuscript describes actigraphy-derived sleep, predicted circadian phase, estimated performance, mood and lifestyle behavior findings from a U.S. Navy submarine study and was a collaboration between our group at NH_ RC and @NSMRL Evan Chinoy Sarah Chabal, Ph.D.
