The Science of Light Center
The SOL Center Leverages Advances in Science, Research, Lighting Design and Engineering to Optimize Health and Wellness.
The SOL Center’s vision is to use a multidisciplinary approach to connect basic discoveries on light sensing pathways to the practice of medicine and the delivery of healthcare and wellness.
Our goal at the SOL Center is to become a leading clinical research hub where light and health intersect. We will bring together experts from various fields like biology, medicine, architecture, public health, urban planning, and engineering to better understand how light affects our health.
Studies show that we spend more than 90% of our lives indoors. Imagine if we could transform the standard lighting of the indoors to BOOST our health and well-being. That is the future we envision.

CCHMC NICU Spectral Lighting
Discover your balance

Sunrise – Cincinnati, Ohio Photo by Katherine A. Gruner
Our Research
Discover the fascinating new frontier of sunlight-coupled physiology.
Led by Dr. Richard Lang, our dedicated research team continues to pioneer revolutionary insights into opsins – light-sensing proteins present throughout the mammalian body, including adipose tissue, skin and deep within the brain. Opsins respond to light and play a pivotal role in orchestrating processes such as growth, thermogenesis, energy regulation, and establishing our circadian rhythm. Learn how our novel discoveries underscore the importance of optimal light exposure, emphasizing the need for violet light found in natural daylight, missing in conventional indoor lighting.
Dive deeper into the real-world impact of our research as we investigate its clinical implications. Guided by Dr. James Greenberg, our translational team is spearheading innovative solutions to health challenges experienced by individuals with disrupted day-night cycles and those unable to experience the appropriate balance of daylight. This includes vulnerable demographics such as infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Our NICU Lighting System
The world’s first broad-spectrum biologically aware NICU lighting system, moving from research to concept and reality.
A Look Inside our clinical studies.
Innovation that leads to the advancement of care for patients and families.
in the news

Cincinnati Children’s has been named #1 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals 2023-24 rankings.
Fat Cells Can Sense Sunlight.
Fat Cells Can Sense Sunlight. Not Getting Enough Can Disrupt Metabolism | Research Horizons (cincinnatichildrens.org)
Metabolic Syndrome and Sunlight
Sun Exposure Triggers Hunger in Men but Not Women, Study Suggests | The Scientist Magazine® (the-scientist.com)
Circadian Light Exposure
The Quest by Circadian Medicine to Make the Most of Our Body Clocks - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
The Science of Light Center
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio