Joanne Carpenter

Dr Joanne Carpenter is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Youth Mental Health and Technology team at the Brain and Mind Centre.

Her work aims to improve outcomes for young people with mood disorders (such as depression and bipolar disorder), by gaining a better understanding of the role of sleep-wake and circadian rhythm (body clock) disturbances in these conditions. Her research focuses on uncovering the neurobiological basis of sleep-wake and circadian disturbance in mood disorders, and investigating impacts on treatment response and other outcomes (such as suicidality and social/occupational functioning).

Her research combines biological (e.g. melatonin) and wearable (e.g. actigraphy watch) measures with clinical and subjective measures to provide a comprehensive picture of how sleep-wake, circadian, and mental health factors are related and change over time. She is also involved in the development of digital health tools and personalised intervention approaches to improve the quality of mental health care for young people. Through partnership with young people with lived experience, she hopes her work will contribute to meaningful improvements in the delivery of optimal treatments and early intervention to reduce the burden of youth mental illness.