SRSF Grant Winners

In a time when research funding is being stripped away at an alarming rate, Nanit is proud to flip the script. We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with the Sleep Research Society Foundation to provide research grants to some of the brightest minds working at the intersection of sleep, health, and family wellness. The call for grant proposals closed in May and after detailed review of the many applications by the Nanit Lab advisory board, it was decided to award grants to four researchers across the US and Canada. The topics of these research proposals explore how various parental behaviors, environmental factors, and societal policies impact baby sleep and overall family well-being. They consider how parental anxiety, geographic location, feeding choices, screen time, and paid parental leave may influence infant sleep patterns, and how a baby’s sleep, in turn, affects maternal health, both physically and mentally, during the postpartum period.

This marks a significant step forward in our commitment to building Nanit Lab, a research arm and think tank within Nanit – bringing together scientists, engineers, physicians, academic experts, and thought leaders to transform the health and well-being of families everywhere.

By supporting the next generation of sleep researchers, we’re furthering Nanit's mission not just as a product company, but as a platform for innovation, discovery, and real-world impact. This partnership reaffirms Nanit’s role not only as a trusted resource for families but as a thought leader driving progress in pediatric health and beyond. 

Meet the 2025 grant recipients:

• Dr. Lauren Covington: A Pediatric ICU nurse and academic leader, Dr. Covington’s work centers on sleep and health outcomes in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Her research explores multi-level determinants of sleep health to identify meaningful intervention targets—ensuring more equitable health outcomes across communities.

• Dr. Claudia Lugo-Candelas: As a clinical psychologist and Bender-Fishbein Scholar in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Lugo-Candelas investigates early developmental risk factors for disorders like ADHD. She is deeply committed to research that reflects and serves minoritized, underserved, and underrepresented communities—believing diversity and equity are critical to sound science.

• Stephanie Zawada, M.S.: A Ph.D. fellow at the Mayo Clinic, Stephanie’s groundbreaking work focuses on remote monitoring, decentralized clinical trial design, and regulatory reform. Her research aims to bridge the gap between digital innovation and real-world clinical outcomes—especially within Hispanic populations in both urban and rural areas.

• Jordana McMurray, PhD: A Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto's Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, Dr. McMurray’s research explores the relationship between sleep and mood in adolescents and young adults living with cystic fibrosis. With a background in pediatric respiratory medicine, she is focused on improving quality of life through better sleep outcomes for this unique population.

These incredible researchers represent the future of sleep science and we’re honored to support their work. 

Watch the highlight video below to learn more about our SRSF Grant Winners!