Dr Leigh Signal is a Professor of Fatigue Management and Sleep Health at the Sleep/Wake Research Centre, Massey University, Wellington. Leigh trained as a Commercial Pilot and then completed a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology before completing her PhD in Public Health at the Sleep/Wake Research Centre.

Leigh is involved in both basic and applied sleep and circadian research, postgraduate supervision and teaching. Her work spans two main areas.

The first focuses on identifying, managing, and mitigating fatigue in applied settings, particularly in the aviation industry. She has worked with aircraft manufacturers, national and international airlines, and regulators, and has conducted studies onboard aircraft and in laboratory environments. Leigh provides scientific advice to industry groups and regulators on the management of fatigue and has been an invited member of International Civil Aviation Organisation Fatigue Risk Management Task Forces. She is also often asked to provide expert evidence on the possible role of fatigue in workplace incidents and accidents.

Leigh’s second research stream focuses on the sleep health of women and children. She is interested in understanding the sleep of women across the perinatal period, the relationship between sleep and mental health across the lifespan, and ways we can support people to maintain good sleep health and mental health. She also has an interest in understanding inequities in sleep for women and children and the sociodemographic factors that drive these differences.