Crystal Yates

Dr Crystal Yates

Research Fellow

School of Psychology

College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

Dr. Crystal Yates’s research delves into the effects of sleep loss and circadian misalignment (disruptions to the body’s natural rhythms) on shift workers. Her work specifically examines how sleeping at non-standard times impacts workers’ metabolism, nutrition and cognitive performance. Additionally, she explores countermeasures to mitigate the adverse effects of night shifts on health and wellbeing. Her findings suggest that meal timing, napping and strategic caffeine use can be practical solutions for minimizing the negative health impacts of night work.
Dr. Yates’s recent work investigates the impact of forced disaggregation during sustained operations in military settings on alertness and self-reported sleepiness. This research highlights the unique challenges faced by teams working in distributed and co-located environments and explores potential strategies for maintaining team effectiveness under such conditions including the use of novel technologies.

I am a researcher working at the intersection of sleep science, chronobiology, and nutrition, focused on understanding and mitigating the performance and health consequences of sleep loss in operational environments.

My research examines how sleep restriction, circadian disruption, and environmental stressors affect cognitive performance, physiological functioning, and metabolic regulation in shift workers. Using controlled laboratory protocols alongside applied operational research, I investigate how working and sleeping at non-standard times influences alertness, decision-making, and metabolic health.

More recently, my work has increasingly focused on how fatigue affects team performance during sustained operations. I investigate how sleep loss, circadian disruption, environmental heat exposure, and distributed team structures influence coordination, communication, and collective decision-making in operational teams. This work aims to identify physiological and behavioural indicators that signal elevated fatigue-related risk at both the individual and team level.

Alongside this, my research identifies practical, scalable countermeasures that organisations can implement to reduce fatigue-related risk in 24/7 industries, including emergency services, healthcare, mining, transport, and defence. My work has demonstrated that meal timing and strategic caffeine use can mitigate some of the cognitive and metabolic consequences of night work, highlighting the potential for simple behavioural interventions to improve safety and performance in real-world settings.

Through collaborations with government, defence, and industry partners, my research aims to translate experimental findings into evidence-based strategies that improve safety, resilience, and performance in organisations that operate around the clock.

Year Citation
2026 Pride, N. A., Payne, J. M., Haebich, K., Arnold, S. S., Bournazos, A., Habib, J., . . . Banks, S. (2026). Sleep-Wake Dysregulation and Altered Melatonin in Neurofibromatosis Type 1.. Sleep, zsag037.
DOI
2026 Greer, E., Owen, M., Roma, P. G., Yates, C., Grosser, L., Hursh, S. R., . . . Banks, S. (2026). Fatigued Teams: Night Work Impairs Team Performance and Cohesion.. Sleep.
DOI
2025 Centofanti, S., Heilbronn, L. K., Wittert, G., Dorrian, J., Coates, A. M., Kennaway, D., . . . Banks, S. (2025). Fasting as an intervention to alter the impact of simulated night-shift work on glucose metabolism in healthy adults: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Diabetologia, 68(1), 203-216.
DOI Scopus7 WoS6
2025 Grosser, L., Yates, C., Dorrian, J., Centofanti, S., Heilbronn, L., Wittert, G., . . . Banks, S. (2025). Exploring circadian and meal timing impacts on cortisol during simulated night shifts. Sleep, online(3), 1-12.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC4
2024 Yates, C. L., Centofanti, S., Heilbronn, L., Kennaway, D., Coates, A. M., Dorrian, J., . . . Banks, S. (2024). The effects of fasting compared to eating a meal or snack during simulated night shift on changes in metabolism associated with circadian misalignment: a protocol and methods paper. Sleep Advances, 5(1), zpae021-1-zpae021-10.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2024 Guzzetti, J. R., Marando, I., Matthews, R. W., Owen, M. S., Yates, C., & Banks, S. (2024). Changes in higher order cognitive function between four watch keeping schedules. SLEEP Advances, 5(1, article no. zpae044), 1-11.
DOI
2022 Grosser, L., Knayfati, S., Yates, C., Dorrian, J., & Banks, S. (2022). Cortisol and shiftwork: a scoping review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 64(101581), 1-12.
DOI Scopus21 WoS22 Europe PMC13
2022 Rogers, M., Coates, A., Huggins, C. E., Dorrian, J., Clark, A. B., Davis, C., . . . Bonham, M. P. (2022). Study protocol for the Shifting Weight using Intermittent Fasting in night shift workers (SWIFt) study: a three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing three weight loss strategies in night shift workers with obesity. BMJ open, 12(e060520), 1-15.
DOI Scopus7 WoS6 Europe PMC7
2022 Marando, I., Matthews, R. W., Grosser, L., Yates, C., & Banks, S. (2022). The effect of time on task, sleep deprivation, and time of day on simulated driving performance. Sleep, 45(9, article no. zsac167), 1-11.
DOI Scopus16 WoS13 Europe PMC8
2022 Zhao, L., Hutchison, A. T., Liu, B., Yates, C. L., Teong, X. T., Wittert, G. A., . . . Heilbronn, L. K. (2022). Time restricted eating improves glycaemic control and dampens energy-consuming pathways in human adipose tissue. Nutrition, 96(article no. 111583), 9 pages.
DOI Scopus33 WoS31 Europe PMC30
2021 Aidman, E., Balin, M., Johnson, K., Jackson, S., Paech, G. M., Pajcin, M., . . . Banks, S. (2021). Caffeine may disrupt the impact of real-time drowsiness on cognitive performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled small-sample study. Scientific Reports, 11(1, article no. 4027), 1-10.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC3
2021 Reuter, S. E., Schultz, H. B., Ward, M. B., Grant, C. L., Paech, G. M., Banks, S., & Evans, A. M. (2021). The effect of high-dose, short-term caffeine intake on the renal clearance of calcium, sodium and creatinine in healthy adults. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 87(11), 4461-4466.
DOI Scopus15 WoS13 Europe PMC14
2019 Pajcin, M., Banks, S., Dorrian, J., Gupta, C. C., Coates, A. M., Grant, C. L., . . . Della Vedova, C. B. (2019). Salivary levels of alpha-amylase are associated with neurobehavioral alertness during extended wakefulness, but not simulated night-shift work. Physiology and behavior, 204, 1-9.
DOI Scopus7 WoS5 Europe PMC6
2019 Pajcin, M., White, J. M., Banks, S., Dorrian, J., Paech, G. M., Grant, C. L., . . . Della Vedova, C. B. (2019). Effects of strategic early-morning caffeine gum administration on association between salivary alpha-amylase and neurobehavioural performance during 50 h of sleep deprivation. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 126, 160-172.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3 Europe PMC3
2018 Aidman, E., Johnson, K., Paech, G. M., Della Vedova, C., Pajcin, M., Grant, C., . . . Banks, S. (2018). Caffeine reduces the impact of drowsiness on driving errors. Transportation research. part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 54, 236-247.
DOI Scopus20 WoS15
2018 Grant, C. L., Coates, A. M., Dorrian, J., Paech, G. M., Pajcin, M., Della Vedova, C., . . . Banks, S. (2018). The impact of caffeine consumption during 50 hr of extended wakefulness on glucose metabolism, self-reported hunger and mood state. Journal of Sleep Research, 27(5), 1-11.
DOI Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC3
2018 Aidman, E., Johnson, K., Hoggan, B. L., Fidock, J., Paech, G. M., Della Vedova, C. B., . . . Banks, S. (2018). Synchronized drowsiness monitoring and simulated driving performance data under 50-hr sleep deprivation: A double-blind placebo-controlled caffeine intervention. Data in brief, 19, 1335-1340.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2018 Dorrian, J., Hursh, S., Waggoner, L., Grant, C., Pajcin, M., Gupta, C., . . . Banks, S. (2018). How much is left in your "sleep tank"? Proof of concept for a simple model for sleep history feedback. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 126, 177-183.
DOI Scopus6 WoS5 Europe PMC4
2018 Centofanti, S., Dorrian, J., Hilditch, C., Grant, C., Coates, A., & Banks, S. (2018). Eating on nightshift: A big vs small snack impairs glucose response to breakfast. Neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms, 4, 44-48.
DOI Scopus36 Europe PMC25
2017 Dorrian, J., Grant, C. L., & Banks, S. (2017). An industry case study of 'stand-up' and 'sleepover' night shifts in disability support: residential support worker perspectives. Applied ergonomics, 58, 110-118.
DOI Scopus12 WoS10 Europe PMC7
2017 Gupta, C. C., Dorrian, J., Grant, C. L., Pajcin, M., Coates, A. M., Kennaway, D. J., . . . Banks, S. (2017). It’s not just what you eat but when: The impact of eating a meal during simulated shift work on driving performance. Chronobiology International, 34(1), 66-77.
DOI Scopus41 WoS36 Europe PMC35
2017 Pajcin, M., Banks, S., White, J. M., Dorrian, J., Paech, G. M., Grant, C., . . . Della Vedova, C. B. (2017). Decreased salivary alpha-amylase levels are associated with performance deficits during sleep loss. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 78, 131-141.
DOI Scopus26 WoS26 Europe PMC21
2017 Grant, C. L., Coates, A. M., Dorrian, J., Kennaway, D. J., Wittert, G. A., Heilbronn, L. K., . . . Banks, S. (2017). Timing of food intake during simulated night shift impacts glucose metabolism: A controlled study. Chronobiology International, 34(8), 1003-1013.
DOI Scopus81 WoS76 Europe PMC73
2017 Grant, C. L., Dorrian, J., Coates, A. M., Pajcin, M., Kennaway, D. J., Wittert, G. A., . . . Banks, S. (2017). The impact of meal timing on performance, sleepiness, gastric upset, and hunger during simulated night shift. Industrial Health, 55(5), 423-436.
DOI Scopus36 WoS34 Europe PMC30
2016 Paech, G. M., Banks, S., Pajcin, M., Grant, C., Johnson, K., Kamimori, G. H., & Della Vedova, C. B. (2016). Caffeine administration at night during extended wakefulness effectively mitigates performance impairment but not subjective assessments of fatigue and sleepiness. Pharmacology biochemistry and behavior, 145, 27-32.
DOI Scopus22 WoS21 Europe PMC18
2016 Paech, G. M., Della Vedova, C., Pajcin, M., Grant, C., Kamimori, G., & Banks, S. (2016). Caffeine has minimal effects on daytime recovery sleep following severe sleep deprivation. Sleep and biological rhythms, 14(2), 149-156.
DOI Scopus10 WoS7
2016 Johnson, K., Aidman, E., Paech, G. M., Pajcin, M., Grant, C., LaValle, C., . . . Banks, S. (2016). Early morning repeat-dose caffeine mitigates driving performance impairments during 50 hours of sleep deprivation. Road and transport research, 25(3), 3-15.
Scopus14 WoS14

Year Citation
2026 Greer, E., Owen, M., Roma, P. G., Yates, C., Grosser, L., Hursh, S. R., . . . Banks, S. (2026). NIGHT SHIFT WORK IMPAIRS TEAM PERFORMANCE AND COHESION. In SLEEP MEDICINE Vol. 138 (pp. 1 page). ELSEVIER.
2026 Ngo, M., Yates, C., Rauffet, P., Grosser, L., Owen, M., Baumeister, J., & Banks, S. (2026). INVESTIGATING TASK SWITCHING PERFORMANCE IN A 31H TOTAL SLEEP DEPRIVATION PROTOCOL. In SLEEP MEDICINE Vol. 138 (pp. 1 page). ELSEVIER.
2025 Yates, C., Mais, C., Owen, M., Grosser, L., Greer, E., Baumeister, J., . . . Banks, S. (2025). Fatigue in Teams: Could Teaming Be an Effective Fatigue Risk Management Countermeasure?. In SLEEP Vol. 48 (pp. A92). WA, Seattle: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.
DOI
2024 Marando, I., Owen, M., Lushington, K., Matthews, R., Yates, C., & Banks, S. (2024). Exploring objective and subjective alertness during watchkeeping schedules. In JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH Vol. 33 (pp. 1 page). WILEY.
2024 Owen, M., Yates, C., Grosser, L., Shattuck, N., Matthews, R., Matsangas, P., . . . Banks, S. (2024). EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF LIGHT AND ODOUR FOR MITIGATING SLEEP INERTIA UNDER CONDITIONS OF SLEEP RESTRICTION. In SLEEP Vol. 47 (pp. 1 page). TX, Houston: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC.
DOI

Year Citation
2019 Matthews, R., Roma, P., Hursh, S., Centofanti, S., Yates, C., Stepien, J., . . . Banks, S. (2019). Team Cohesion under sleep loss. Poster session presented at the meeting of JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH. Sydney, AUSTRALIA: WILEY.
DOI
2019 Stepien, J., Dorrian, J., Kennaway, D., Coates, A., Yates, C., Centofanti, S., . . . Banks, S. (2019). Individual variation in melatonin responses under constant lighting (100lux) during simulated night shiftwork. Poster session presented at the meeting of JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH. Sydney, AUSTRALIA: WILEY.

2025      SafeWork SA, Grosser, L, Yates, C. When ShIft woRk meets mENopause (SIREN) ($17,500)

2025      JUS 2025 Kickstart funding, Yates, C. ($4,500)

2024      Dean of Research Bottleneck Funding Scheme, Yates, C. ($4,292)

2024      Office of Naval Research Global, Banks, S, Yates, C, Owen, M. Fine Tuned Biometric Models for Warfighters in Austere Settings, Office of Naval Research Global ($892,663)

2021      Naval Postgraduate School, Banks S, Matthews R, Yates C. Reducing Sleep Inertia with Reactive Countermeasures: Impact of Light, Odor and Caffeine on Alertness ($336,518)

2021      Lockheed Marten Australia, Banks S, Yates C. Investigation into real-time monitoring of human performance ($999,662)*

2020      EAS URIPA Grant, Matthews R, Baumeister J, Szpak A, Yates C, Towers J, Banks, S. 24-hour Teams of Tomorrow: Impact of fatigue, human-machine trust and control room layout on team performance ($15,000)
 

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2022 Co-Supervisor 110541 - Multitasking and Human Autonomy Teaming - Doctorate Full Time Ms Melissa Ngo

Date Role Committee Institution Country
2024 - ongoing Member Scientific committee Defense Human Sciences Symposium Sponsored by Defence Science and Technology's Human Sciences Hub Australia
2021 - ongoing Chair Adelaide Sleep Retreat Adelaide University Australia

Connect With Me

External Profiles

Other Links