Johanna Meijer

Meijer currently leads the large nation-wide research consortium BioClock, to investigate the biological clock in day-to-day life. This BioClock consortium is a joint collaboration between 13 Dutch Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences together with governmental, semi-governmental and commercial parties. In 2020, BioClock was awarded 9.7 million Euros from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for the Dutch National Research Agenda program (NWA). Across 25 projects, Meijer and colleagues investigate a unique coverage of the effects of modern daily life on health. Since 80% of the world lives in a light-polluted sky and one in five works in Europe is currently engaged in some form of shift work, important cues for the biological clock have drastically and abruptly changed in the past years. These changes lead to circadian disruption of humans and animals, with large consequences for mental and physical human health, as well as fitness and the chance of survival for many species. Meijer investigates with the BioClock consortium how these challenges can be overcome by uniting experts from different disciplines with the ultimate goal to protect or even strengthen the clock to promote health, quality of life and biodiversity.

Meijer attended Leiden University in the Netherlands, where she obtained her Master’s degree in the Department of Biology, Physics, and Medicine and her Ph.D. in Physiology. After completing her Ph.D. in 1989, Meijer became an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at Leiden University in 1992. Here, Meijer began her work on circadian rhythms alongside Ben Rusak. In 2001, Meijer became an associate professor at Leiden University.

Johanna Meijer (born 26 March 1959) is a Dutch scientist who has contributed significantly to the field of chronobiology. Meijer has made notable contributions to the understanding of the neural and molecular mechanisms of circadian pacemakers. She is known for her extensive studies of photic and non-photic effects on the mammalian circadian clocks. Notably, Meijer is the 2016 recipient of the Aschoff and Honma Prize, one of the most prestigious international prizes in the circadian research field. In addition to still unraveling neuronal mechanisms of circadian clocks and their applications to health, Meijer's lab now studies the effects of modern lifestyles on our circadian rhythm and bodily functions.