Keynote Speakers
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Philippa Gander is Professor Emeritus at Massey University and an internationally renowned scholar of sleep and circadian rhythms. After a PhD at Auckland University and research at Harvard Medical School and NASA Ames Research Centre, Philippa returned to New Zealand and established the Sleep/Wake Research Centre, now at Massey.
All living things on Earth have biological clocks that drive rhythms in the way they function and behave. These internal clocks are adaptations to the environmental cycles – the day night cycle, the 28-day lunar cycle, and the cycle of the seasons - and they rely on specific time cues from the environment to stay in step with the outside world. Philippa’s research has focused mainly on how our work patterns affect our internal circadian (daily) rhythms and the consequences for our health, safety, and wellbeing. Circadian clock genes are an adaptation that we share with every life form on Earth.
Sleep, which is vital for our waking function and health, is programmed to occur at night by a circadian master clock in the brain. This master clock coordinates a hierarchy of circadian rhythms generated in different organs and tissues throughout the body. To stay in step with the day/night cycle, it monitors blue light as a time cue, via a dedicated neural pathway that is separate from vision. This system is being increasingly challenged by the way we live. Shift work and jet lag disrupt our environmental time cues, disturb sleep patterns, and lead to greater risk of accidents and serious health problems.
Our increasing use of artificial light at night also masks the daily, monthly and seasonal light cycles that are vital time cues for the diverse biological clocks of other species.
Philippa has received multiple international awards for her work, including a NASA Group Achievement Award with the Fatigue Countermeasures Program; a BP International Chairman’s Award for Safety Performance, for a fatigue management programme for heavy vehicle drivers; the Flight Safety Foundation-Airbus Human Factors Award in recognition of her contribution to human factors promotion in aviation; and the Australasian Sleep Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award.
In 2009 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in Technology and Applied Sciences, and in 2017 she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the study of sleep and fatigue.
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Steve Fotios is Professor of Lighting and Visual Perception
in the School of Architecture and Landscape at the University of Sheffield
(UK). His research tends to focus on lighting for pedestrians and cyclists,
with the aim of improving design guidance so that
recommendations such as the illuminance required in a given context has a
credible empirical basis. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Lighting
Research & Technology. He is also an associate director of CIE Division
4 where he is leading the revision of CIE 115:2010 Lighting of Roads
for Motor and Pedestrian Traffic.
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BA (hons) MSLL MCIBSE IALD - Hoare Lea Lighting Design Programme Director Hospitality & Retail Sector Lead
Originally trained in theatre design, Juan brings a unique narrative and human-centred approach to architectural lighting. Director at Hoare Lea, he has over 20 years’ experience delivering award-winning lighting schemes across the UK and internationally. Juan is known for blending creative storytelling with technical excellence, leading multidisciplinary teams to deliver sustainable, innovative, and people-focused solutions. He is passionate about empowering the next generation of designers to think strategically about the value of light—both qualitatively and quantitatively. His work spans sector-focused design, digital transformation, and team development, all underpinned by a commitment to design excellence and purpose-driven practice.
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Dr. Jennifer A. Veitch Ph.D.,
FIES, FRSC - President, International Commission on Illumination (CIE) is a Principal Research Officer in the National Research Council of Canada’s Construction Research Centre, where she has led research into the effects of indoor environment effects on health and behaviour since 1992. She is best known for her work on lighting quality and individual control in relation to energy consumption, work performance and occupant satisfaction, which has influenced North American and international recommendations and standards. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, the International Association of Applied Psychology, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the Royal Society of Canada. In 2011 she received the Waldram Gold Pin for Applied Illuminating Engineering from the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and in 2018 she received the IES Medal Award. She serves the CIE as its President for the term 2023-2027.
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Kevin Houser PhD, PE (NE), FIES, LC, LEED AP is a Professor at Oregon State University, Chief Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, co-founder of Lyralux, Inc., and former editor-in-chief of LEUKOS, the journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).
He has published more than 150 publications about light and lighting, has been awarded 5 patents for innovations in light source spectral design, and has shared his insights and discoveries globally through more than 150 presentations delivered across six continents.
He’s won the CIBSE Leon Gaster and Walsh Weston Awards, three
IES Taylor Technical Talent Awards, an Edison Report Lifetime Achievement
Award, the IES Presidential Award, is a Fellow of IES, and is a recipient of
the IES Medal, the society’s highest award for technical achievement. His work
examines how humans perceive and biologically respond to light, with emphasis
on advancing social equity and environmental responsibility.