Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker is an internationally regarded sleep scientist and bestselling author, most notably of the New York Times Bestseller Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. He is currently the Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. Walker is renowned for his ability to take complex scientific concepts and make them digestible to a wider audience.

Walker was born in Manchester, England in the 1970s. His fascination with the science of sleep began at a young age. One of his earliest memories is staying up late one summer night to watch a moon landing and witnessing first-hand the extraordinary power of sleep deprivation. His curiosity about this peculiar state of consciousness only grew from there.

Walker went on to study experimental psychology at Oxford University, where he received his D.Phil. in 1998. Afterward, he was drawn to the emerging neuroscience field of sleep research. He received his first post-doctoral training in Montreal before joining the Neurobiology of Sleep Group at Harvard Medical School.

It was during his tenure at Harvard that Walker witnessed the devastating effects of sleep deprivation on human health and performance. Unlike most researchers who remained trapped in the world of academic research, Walker made it his mission to educate the public on the importance of getting a good night's rest. He consistently campaigned for the sleep revolution, speaking at conferences and appearing on numerous media outlets.

In 2010, Walker moved to the University of California, Berkeley and founded the Center for Human Sleep Science, where he continues to conduct groundbreaking research. He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest recorded dream, a remarkable thirteen hours.

Walker's research has been featured in outlets like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, TED Radio Hour, NPR, and the New York Times. He has also appeared on television networks like BBC, CBS, and ABC. His research has been published in prestigious outlets such as Nature and Science and has been cited thousands of times in scientific literature.

In 2017, Walker published his first book, Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. The book became an international success, selling over a million copies worldwide. Since then, he has been an advocate for sleep health and regularly advocates for the need for politicians to prioritize sleep across all sectors. He also lectures on the neurobiology of sleep, circadian rhythms, and dream science.

As a sleep scientist and author, Matthew Walker's mission is to raise global awareness of the importance of sleep for individual and collective wellbeing. His writings, research, and passion have helped spark a movement to prioritize sleep health around the world.