Rate My Professor Kenneth Wright

Kenneth P. Wright Jr. is a Professor of Distinction and Graduate Affairs Associate Chair in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder. He earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 1990, an M.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience/Psychology from Bowling Green State University in 1994, and a Ph.D. in the same field from Bowling Green State University in 1996. His early career included research assistantships at the University of Arizona and postdoctoral fellowships at Bowling Green State University, followed by positions at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital as Research Fellow in Medicine (1997-2000), Associate Neuroscientist (2000-2002), Instructor in Medicine (2000-2002), and Director of the Fatigue Countermeasures Research Program (2001-2002). Wright joined the University of Colorado Boulder in 2002 as Assistant Professor in Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, transitioning to Assistant Professor in Integrative Physiology (2003-2009), Associate Professor (2009-2015), Professor (2015-present), and Professor of Distinction (2019-present). He also serves as Adjunct Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine (2015-present).

Director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, Wright’s research examines the physiology of sleep and circadian rhythms, health and safety impacts of disruptions including metabolic dysregulation, impaired cognition, and performance deficits, and countermeasures to promote public health and safety. With over 25 years of experience, he has led individual and multicenter grants and clinical trials. His honors include the 2022 Mary A. Carskadon Outstanding Educator Award (Sleep Research Society), 2019 Professor of Distinction, 2018 Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence Award for Research, 2013 Provost’s Faculty Achievement Award, 2007 Sleep Research Society Distinguished Service Award, and 2005 J. Christian Gillin Research Award. Influential publications feature “The role of insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment in obesity” (Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 2023), “Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food intake, and weight gain” (PNAS, 2013), “Entrainment of the human circadian clock to the natural light-dark cycle” (Current Biology, 2013), and “Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults” (PLoS Biology, 2022). Wright directs NIH T32 and R25 training programs fostering future sleep and circadian researchers.