Dr Aiste Steponenaite
Dr Aiste Steponenaite is a Lecturer in Biological Sciences at the Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, specialising in circadian neuroscience, sleep health, and ageing. She holds a PhD in Circadian Neuroscience from the University of Kent in collaboration with University of Oxford. Dr Steponenaite's research explores how ageing and circadian disruption affect brain health, behaviour, and wellbeing, using both preclinical and human-centred approaches to inform real-world interventions.
She is particularly passionate about developing personalised, non-pharmacological strategies to improve sleep and circadian health. As a founding Co-Director of the Sleep & Wellbeing Clinic at the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrative Therapy, she leads research into patient-led solutions using wearable technologies and circadian assessments. She is also involved in projects applying AI and machine learning to circadian and health data, with a strong focus on innovation and accessibility.
She leads and contributes to international projects—including a global systematic review on the health impacts of daylight saving time—and serves on the ECR advisory board for the Circadian Mental Health Network. Dr Steponenaite works closely with care homes, councils, and healthcare professionals to co-design circadian-friendly environments and sleep education initiatives that have real societal impact.
Alongside research, she is deeply committed to mentoring and supporting others, she leads and contributes to development programmes for PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers. She also teaches across undergraduate pharmacy and medical programmes.
Email: a.steponenaite@kent.ac.uk