Stephanie Jones, PhD

I’m an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Assistant Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness. In these roles, I have the pleasure of bringing together talented and creative people to study how sleep shapes brain development and mental health.

My fascination with sleep began in the second grade, when I discovered an article in Highlights magazine about sleep and memory during a trip to the dentist. Inspired—and, I now realize, more than a little confused—I recorded myself reciting multiplication tables and played them back at night, convinced I’d wake up smarter. The experiment didn’t improve my math skills, but it sparked a lifelong passion for understanding how sleep shapes our cognitive and emotional lives.

I live in Madison with my son, my partner, two cats who nap like Olympians, and one exceptionally lazy dog.