Dr. Sylvia Rabstein is a senior researcher at the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance (IPA), affiliated with Ruhr University Bochum. Her work centers on the health impacts of shift and night work, chronobiology, and the non-visual effects of light exposure, with a focus on developing preventive strategies for healthier shift work design.

She has conducted a range of epidemiological studies, including field investigations, cohort studies, and case-control analyses. Among these is the DGUV-funded “Light and Shift” intervention project, which explores the short- and long-term health effects of dynamic lighting and personalized light recommendations. Dr. Rabstein has also contributed to national guidelines for occupational physicians on shift work, sleep, and reproductive health.

Her research investigates how different shift systems, individual characteristics, workplace design, and genetic polymorphisms influence both acute responses and the development of chronic diseases among shift workers. She was a long-standing board member of the German Working Time Society and is currently a member of the Ladenburg Roundtable “Light for Health and Well-being” of the Daimler-Benz Foundation, which aims to translate light-related health mechanisms into policy recommendations.

Dr. Rabstein’s interdisciplinary approach bridges occupational medicine, epidemiology, and chronobiology, with a strong commitment to translating scientific insights into practical solutions for workplace health.