I have recently started in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience as a Research Fellow. With this newfound freedom I am exploring the behaviour of sensory systems during sleep and how animals remain vigilant whilst unconscious. I am also interested by more fundamental questions like "Why do we sleep?". By studying the effects of sleep deprivation on physiology and cognition in different species, I hope to understand the functions of sleep and whether these are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom