Role
John’s role primarily involves research, and research leadership, as well as management responsibility for Human Tissue work Psychology. He also heads up NTU’s SleepWellScience, a sleep assessment service for those recovering from major trauma. John is also an active teacher, he leads and teaches on a final year module (Psychology of Sleep, PSY31010) and supervises of undergraduate and postgraduate research.
Career overview
John is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He was appointed Professor of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University in June 2017.
He has been REF-lead for Psychology at a number of institutions, is a former honorary General Secretary of the British Psychological Society, and President of the Traffic & Transport division of the International Association of Applied Psychology.
John has held chairs in Psychology at the University of Surrey (1995-2008), University College Cork, (2008-12, also Head of School) and the University of Hull (2012-2017). In addition, he is/has been Honorary Professor at Cork and Surrey.
Before these professorial appointments, John was a member of the Medical Research Council’s Applied Psychology Unit in Cambridge from the mid-80s to mid-90s, where he went to following his PhD at Queen’s University Belfast (1984), and obtaining a BA (1979) and MA (1981) from UCC, in his native Cork.
He is the author of two books, one on memory, one on driving; founding editor of Elsevier’s Transportation Research: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour; and author of 80+, peer-reviewed publications, and over 200 book chapters, reports, etc.
Research areas
John’s primary research interests are in the measurement of sleep and cognitive function; the factors that can protect (sleep, practice, aptitude, genes, pharmaceuticals) or challenge (sleep loss, circadian phase, pain, brain injury, age, inexperience) performance, and the relevance of what we measure under controlled laboratory circumstances to everyday functioning (e.g. activities of daily living, work, driving, etc.).
He is increasingly interested in the effects of disease and disability on sleep, and vice versa, shift working and operator safety in complex settings. Much of his work is necessarily multidisciplinary and focuses increasingly on the biological and neurological underpinning of cognitive performance.
External activity
John enjoys presenting his and others’ research at public science events, as well as scientific conferences.
Sponsors and collaborators
John has provided advice/research support for Amazon, Ava Ltd, Children’s Sleep Charity, Continental AG, Kier plc, The Family Fund, Manchester United FC, and Vodafone, largely concerning links between sleep and human performance. He has also acted as an expert witness in relation the contribution of human factors (particularly fatigue, distraction, inexperience and sleep loss) in relation to accidents occurring in different modes of transport.
Publications
John’s recent (since 2012) peer-reviewed journal articles include:
Trawley, S.L., Stephens, A.M., Rendell, P.G. and Groeger, J.A. (2016). Prospective memory while driving: Comparison of time- and event-based intentions. Ergonomics, in press.
Santhi, N., Lazar, A.S., McCabe, P.J., Lo, J.C., Groeger, J.A. and Dijk, D.J. (2016). Sex differences in the circadian regulation of sleep and waking cognition in humans. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. 113(19):E2730-9.
Moray, N., Groeger, J.A. and Stanton, N.A. (2016). Quantitative Modelling in Cognitive Ergonomics: Predicting Signals Passed At Danger. Ergonomics, 20:1-15.
Murphy, G., Groeger, J.A., and Greene, C.M. (2016). Twenty years of Load Theory – Where are we now and where Should we go next? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 1-25.
Lo, C.Y., Groeger, J.A., Cheng, G.H., Dijk, D-J. and Chee, M.W.L. (2016). Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sleep Medicine. 17, 87–98.
Haqverdi, M.Q., Seyedabrishami, S., and Groeger, J.A. (2015). Identifying psychological and socio-economic factors affecting motorcycle helmet use. Accident Analysis and Prevention. 85, 102–110.
Doorley, R., Pakrashi, V., Byrne, E., Comerford, S., Ghosh, B. and Groeger, J.A. (2015). Analysis of Heart Rate Variability amongst Cyclists under Perceived Variations of Risk Exposure. Transportation Research Part F Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 28, 40–54.
Lo, C.Y., Dijk, D-J. and Groeger, J.A. (2014). Comparing the effects of nocturnal sleep and daytime napping on declarative memory consolidation. PLoS ONE. 9(9): e108100. doi: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0108100.
Groeger, J.A., Stanley, N., Deacon, S. and Dijk, D.J. (2014). Dissociating Effects of Global SWS Disruption and Healthy Aging on Waking Performance and Daytime Sleepiness. Sleep, 37(6):1127-42.
Kennedy, P.J., Clarke, G., O’Neill, A., Groeger, J.A., Quigley, E.M.M., Shanahan, F., Cryan, J.F. and Dinan, T.G. (2014). Cognitive performance in irritable bowel syndrome: evidence of a stress-related impairment in visuospatial memory. Psychological Medicine, 44(7):1553-66.
Stephens, A.N. and Groeger, J.A. (2014). Following slower drivers: Lead driver status moderates driver’s anger and behavioural responses and exonerates culpability. Transportation Research Part F Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 22, 140-149.
Santhi, N., Groeger, J.A., Archer, S.N., Gimenez, M., Schlangen, L.C.M. and Dijk, D.J. (2013). Morning Sleep inertia in Alertness and Performance: Effect of Cognitive Domain and White Light Conditions, PLoS ONE, 8(11):e79688.
Boyle, J., Groeger, J.A. and Paska, W. (2013). A method to assess the dissipation of residual hypnotics: Eszopiclone versus Zopiclone. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 33, 1, 73-73.
Stephens, A.N., Trawley, S.L., Madigan, R. and Groeger, J.A. (2013). Drivers display anger-congruent attention to potential traffic hazards. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2, 178-189.
Lo, C.Y., Groeger, J.A., Santhi, N., Arbon, E.L., Lazar, A.S., Hasan, S., von Schantz, M., Archer, S.N. and Dijk, D-J. (2012.). Effects of partial and acute total sleep deprivation on performance across cognitive domains, individuals and circadian phase. PLoS ONE, 7(9). e45987.
Lázár, A., Slak, A., Lo, J.C.Y., Santhi, N., von-Schantz, M., Archer, S.N., Groeger, J.A. and Dijk, D.J. (2012). Phenotypic variations in sleep timing, psychological and health measures in the PER3 VNTR. Chronobiology International, 29, 2, 131-146.
Boyle, J., Groeger, J.A., Paska, W., Cooper, J.A., Rockett, C., Jones, S., Gandhi, P., Scott, J., Atzori, G. and Dijk, D.J. (2012). A method to assess the dissipation of residual hypnotics: Eszopiclone versus Zopiclone. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 32(5):704-9.
Bettica, P., Squassante, L., Groeger, J.A., Gennery, B. and Dijk, D.J. (2012). Differential effects of a dual orexin receptor antagonist (SB-649868) and zolpidem on sleep initiation and consolidation, SWS and REM sleep in a model of situational insomnia. Neurpsychopharmacology, 37(5):1224-33
Dijk, D.J., Stanley, N., Groeger, J.A. and Deacon, S. (2012). Enhanced SWS and Improved Sleep Maintenance after Gaboxadol Administration in a Traffic Noise Model of Transient Insomnia. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 6(8):1096-107.
Kennedy, P.J., Clarke, G., Quigley, E.M.M., Groeger, J.A., Dinan, T.G. and Cryan, J.F. (2012). Gut Memories: Towards a Cognitive Neurobiology of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(1):310-40.
Press expertise
- Sleep, in children, teens, adults, older adults
- Effects of sleep loss on health, behaviour, cognition, wellbeing and safety
- Environmental effects on sleep (heat, light, noise, disruption)
- Sleep in families, couples, children and carers
- Disability and sleep
- Shift-work and sleep
- Sleep and travel
- Transport, driving (cars, trains, cycling, etc), and safety, training, assessment
- Fitness to continue driving
- Use of simulation for training and assessment
- Driving and fatigue / cognitive impairment