About CircadiaLab

CircadiaLab is an ecosystem of research tools born out of necessity.

In early 2026, while preparing a clinical trial, I needed a tool that allowed for the collection of sleep, light exposure, and eating pattern data from shift workers. I searched for a solution that was flexible enough for rigorous research but found that most options were either too rigid, too expensive, or did not respect participant privacy.

That is why I decided to build the tools I could not find. Leveraging the accessibility of AI-assisted coding, I developed a suite of tools: CircadiaLog for data collection and CircadiaStats for data processing. Both sit under the CircadiaLab ecosystem.

Design philosophy

My goal was simple: to design something genuinely useful for researchers, built by a researcher who knows what is needed.

  • Privacy by design. A core commitment to ensuring data remains secure and that academic integrity is maintained.
  • Flexibility. Designed to be adaptable across a wide range of research protocols and study designs.

Transparency

  • This platform was built with the help of AI coding tools, used to turn specific research needs into a set of working tools.
  • While I have a background in software and databases, I am a researcher by training rather than a professional software engineer.
  • The software is provided as-is. It was built to support my own academic research and has not yet undergone formal external security auditing or large-scale clinical validation. Both are planned.
  • I will continue to support and maintain these tools for as long as I am working as a researcher in this field.
  • As a full-time scientist with primary research responsibilities, my capacity for immediate support or frequent updates is limited. While I will do my best to assist users and maintain the platform, please understand that this is an independent project and response times will vary based on my research workload.

Current status

CircadiaLab is currently navigating the necessary intellectual property and administrative processes. I am working behind the scenes to finalise the legal and institutional groundwork so these tools can be fully deployed for wider research use.

About the developer

Cartoon avatar of Forrest Cheung

Forrest Cheung, PhD

Postdoctoral researcher · University of Oxford

I began my career in sleep research in 2018. While I started as an insomnia researcher, my work has increasingly pivoted toward circadian rhythms and their interventions, specifically focusing on how we can better support those with irregular schedules.

I have been the sole developer and manager of CircadiaLab and its projects since its inception, bridging the gap between clinical neuroscience and software development to create tools that move our field forward.

You can visit my personal webpage here: drforrestcheung.com.

Interested in using CircadiaLog or CircadiaStats, or just want to talk?

Get in touch