Working conditions for maritime workers - Non-standard work schedules (supervisor Ståle Pallesen)
Supervisors for the projects related to non-standard work schedules are Professor Ståle Pallesen, Professor Anette Harris and Professor Olav Kjellevold Olsen. Pallesen and Harris are both affiliated with the Bergen Sleep and Chronobiology Network (BeSCN), thus that group will be emphasized in the current description.
Non-standard work schedules and long shifts are highly prevalent in the maritime sector, both within the civilian (including oil installations in the North Sea) and military entities. Hence, safety challenges related to shift and night work and sleep deprivation are immanent in the maritime sectors.
The three supervisors are highly familiar with research on sleep, non-standard work schedules and sleep deprivation. In terms of specific research interests, we can mention effects of non-pharmacological interventions to improve functioning and adaptation to non-standard work schedules and effects of sleep deprivation on social interaction, moral judgement, social cognition and team functioning. Another potential topic encompasses personality and genetic factors contributing to shift work tolerance.
The supervisors have extensive collaboration with researchers internationally, both related to basic and applied research. Hence, the opportunity for research stays abroad (both short- and long term) for incoming post doctors would be great.
We have active and current collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Navy and with civil shipping companies. In addition, we have several contacts within the Norwegian oil industry. In terms of innovation, we have established collaboration with Norwegian companies such as VitalThings that among other produces contactless sensors (e.g., for remote sleep registration) and Glamox who produces lights (e.g., human centric lighting).
In terms of relevant and available infrastructure we have access to a light lab, a naval simulator, and we are also in the process of establish a driving simulator lab. We have also access to sleep assessment devices (polysomnography, actigraphy and sleep radars).
The BeSCN is a cross-disciplinary and cross-facultary research group with strong connections to the Faculty of Medicine (prof Bjørn Bjorvatn and postdoc Siri Waage) and also to the Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, situated at the Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen (see www.BeSCN.no). Hence, the plan is to recruit co-supervisors from these research environments.
