SEEN

SomneuroLab,
Life Science Laboratories

Although students might occasionally doze off while studying in cozy spots around campus, there is one place at UMass devoted specifically to sleep—and the science behind it. The state-of-the-art SomneuroLab allows researchers to closely examine neural processing when we’re asleep and how it affects functioning and cognition when we’re awake.

The lab is run by Rebecca Spencer, a professor and neuroscientist who has been featured in the Netflix docuseries Babies and on an episode of NOVA called “Mysteries of Sleep.” Doctoral student and lab assistant Eunsol Noh ’26PhD (shown above wearing a cap of sensors in the lab) says that Spencer has been greatly supportive as Noh has acclimated to working in the lab. “I was able to learn a lot as a first-year doctoral student,” says Noh. In particular, Noh’s research examines how aging affects sleep and memory consolidation, and she is looking forward to reporting the findings from her first research project.

Read more about the Somneurolab’s research and opportunities to participate as a research subject.