Circadian clocks govern biological functions that repeat with a period of approximately 24 hours, with light as the primary synchronizer of the human circadian clock. Using techniques from optimal control, we can generate schedules of light and dark that shift a model of the circadian clock to a new time zone as quickly as possible. In April 2014, we released a mobile application, Entrain, for relaying these optimal schedules to travelers crossing multiple time zones. Here I will discuss how the schedules in Entrain are calculated, as well as new approaches that can make the schedules more robust to real world constraints. I will also discuss data collected through Entrain and future directions for the project, including integrating mathematical modeling with wearable devices on mobile platforms.
Speaker(s): Olivia Walch (University of Michigan)