Jonathan Johnston gained his PhD from Manchester in 2002, following studies into day-length regulation of daily and seasonal rhythms. He then worked on similar projects in Aberdeen for 4 years, before taking up a lectureship in Surrey. Since setting up his own laboratory in Surrey, he has moved into the study of human circadian rhythms. Most of his work now involves studying human volunteers in laboratory settings, but he is also involved in analysis of circadian rhythms found in cells grown in the laboratory.