Dr Rosie Gibson’s research focuses on sleep across the lifespan and the associations between mental health conditions on sleep. Rosie has a background in psychology and clinical sleep medicine. She is a registered polysomnographic technologist (BRPT) and established a programme of research around sleep with ageing and dementia.
Rosie joined the Sleep/Wake Research Centre in 2008 on a Commonwealth Scholarship to complete her Master’s thesis on the sleep and development of infants. She then progressed as a doctoral student in the field of sleep and older adulthood. As an HRC and Lotteries postdoctoral fellow, Rosie conducted several research projects exploring sleep in healthy ageing and the role of sleep problems regarding decisions for formal care requirements within families affected by dementia. She also co-launched the Sleep/Wake Research Centre’s survey associated with sleep and wellbeing during New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown.
Rosie is now based in the School of Psychology’s Health and Ageing Research Team (HART), which is responsible for the Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal study (HWR). Spanning 16 years of data collection so far, this study provides unique insights into wellbeing (including sleep) of older people living in Aotearoa. Rosie remains affiliated with the Sleep/Wake Research Centre and is currently involved with several other research projects concerning sleep and/or ageing.