Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Wassing's training included biochemistry (BSc) and neuroscience (MSc), and he obtained his Doctorate in May 2019, for the research program on the neurobiology of emotional memory processing in insomnia under supervision of Prof. Van Someren at The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, De Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Since 2019 he is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and at the School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Research interests
Mental disorders will be the number one health burden of our society worldwide in 2030. Dr. Wassing's research program revealed that fragmented sleep is key to the mechanisms underlying disturbed emotion regulation. Indeed, fragmented sleep is also known to be the primary transdiagnostic factor determining the risk, severity, chronicity and relapse of mental problems. Current research efforts focus on (1) a transdiagnostic understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of sleep fragmentation and its key role in dysregulated emotional distress; (2) optimised and validated markers to identify people at risk and to monitor intervention success; (3) utilisation of these markers for early stratification of people at risk into our combined sleep and circadian eHealth intervention.
Education/Academic qualification
Neuroscience, PhD, Restless REM sleep and its detrimental effects on the regulation of emotional distress, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Award Date: 1 May 2019
Neuroscience, MSc, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Award Date: 1 Sept 2012
Biochemistry, BSc, InHolland University of Applied Sciences
Award Date: 1 Sept 2008
External positions
Post-doctoral research fellow, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
2019 → …
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Usyd led: Synergise, Integrate and Enhance Sleep Research to Transform Brain Ageing (SIESTA)
Naismith, S. (Chief Investigator), D'Rozario, A. (Primary Chief Investigator), Grunstein, R. (Chief Investigator), Martins, R. (Chief Investigator), Gordon, C. (Chief Investigator), Hoyos, C. (Chief Investigator), Rainey-Smith, S. (Chief Investigator), Anderson, C. (Chief Investigator), Shine, J. M. (Chief Investigator), Bourgeat, P. (Chief Investigator), Coulson, E. J. (Associate Investigator), Trickett, D. (Associate Investigator), Wassing, R. (Associate Investigator), Fripp, J. (Associate Investigator), Postnova, S. (Associate Investigator), Ward, S. (Associate Investigator), Matar, E. (Associate Investigator), Phillips, C. (Associate Investigator), Jacobson, L. (Associate Investigator), Hedner, J. (Associate Investigator) & Eslick, S. (Other)
11/06/24 → 10/06/29
Project: Research
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Understanding and breaking the chain of disrupted sleep and mental disorders
Van Someren, E. J. W. (Chief Investigator), Wassing, R. (Primary Chief Investigator), Lüthi, A. (Chief Investigator) & Landolt, H.-P. (Chief Investigator)
1/03/24 → 28/02/29
Project: Research
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Enhancing slow wave sleep and sleep dependent memory in older adults with sleep disorders and chronic respiratory disease.
D'Rozario, A. (Primary Chief Investigator), Wassing, R. (Supervisor) & Tang, J. (Student)
1/01/24 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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Understanding Brain Cleaning in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Phillips, C. (Primary Chief Investigator), Postnova, S. (Chief Investigator), Butlin, M. (Chief Investigator), Wong, K. (Chief Investigator), D'Rozario, A. L. (Associate Investigator), Grunstein, R. R. (Associate Investigator), Chatterjee, P. (Associate Investigator), Wassing, R. (Associate Investigator), Gordon, C. J. (Associate Investigator), Hoyos, C. (Associate Investigator) & Martins, R. (Associate Investigator)
21/02/22 → 31/01/26
Project: Research
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Acute effects of oral cannabinoids on sleep and high-density EEG in insomnia: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Suraev, A., McGregor, I. S., McCartney, D., Marshall, N. S., Kao, C.-H., Wassing, R., D'Rozario, A. L., Wong, K. K. H., Yee, B. J., Sivam, S., Kevin, R. C., Vandrey, R., Irwin, C., Gordon, C. J., Bartlett, D., Arnold, J. C., Grunstein, R. R. & Hoyos, C. M., 1 Feb 2026, In: Journal of Sleep Research. 35, 1, p. 1-13 13 p., e70124.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile8 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)5 Downloads (Pure) -
Beyond the bedroom: environmental, relational, and spatial influences on women’s sleep health
Dincer, D., Demirbilek, O., Gordon, C., Wassing, R. & Paolini, R., 25 May 2026, (Submitted) 51 p. (SSRN).Research output: Working paper › Preprint
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Hacking the functions of sleep: noninvasive approaches to stimulate sleep neurophysiology
Krugliakova, E., Breuer, F., Adelhöfer, N., Alonso, A., Besedovsky, L., Murphy, K., Peters, E., Raczek, K., Rasch, B., Salvesen, L., Snipes, S., Schoch, S., Schreiner, T., Wassing, R., Bergmann, T. O. & Dresler, M., Apr 2026, In: Physiological Reviews. 106, 2, p. 675-749 75 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)2 Downloads (Pure) -
Insomnia subtypes have differentiating deviations in brain structural connectivity
Bresser, T., Blanken, T. F., de Lange, S. C., Leerssen, J., Foster-Dingley, J. C., Lakbila-Kamal, O., Wassing, R., Ramautar, J. R., Stoffers, D., van de Heuvel, M. P. & van Someren, E. J. W., 1 Feb 2025, In: Biological Psychiatry. 97, 3, p. 302-312 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile24 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)100 Downloads (Pure) -
Moderately strong intraclass correlations between actigraphic and polysomnographic total sleep time and sleep efficiency in older adults with sleep disturbance
Rahimi, M. M., Phillips, C. L., Marshall, N. S., Wassing, R., Pun, T., Grunstein, R. R. & Gordon, C. J., 15 Apr 2025, In: Sleep and Breathing. 29, 2, p. 1-6 6 p., 161.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)50 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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Eus J W Van Someren
Wassing, R. (Host)
14 Oct 2024 → 18 Oct 2024Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor
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Australia and New Zealand Sleep Science Association Plenary Symposium
Wassing, R. (Chair)
18 Oct 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising a conference, workshop or event series
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Sleep (Journal)
Wassing, R. (Member of editorial board)
1 Jul 2024 → …Activity: Peer-review and editorial of research outputs › Editorial work
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Improved sleep for better mood and emotion regulation
Wassing, R. (Invited speaker)
8 Apr 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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ENIGMA Sleep Talk: restless REM sleep in insomnia
Wassing, R. (Invited speaker)
11 Apr 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Press/Media
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Discovery of different forms of insomnia could lead to better treatment
31/08/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Evenings interview by Renee Krosch
20/05/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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How we process emotions during sleep may change our mental health
18/05/24
4 Media contributions
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities