Ivan Vargas
Assistant ProfessorFaculty Affiliate, Eck Institute for Global Health Faculty Affiliate, Harper Cancer Research Institute Faculty Affiliate, Institute of Latino Studies Faculty Affiliate, Neuroscience and Behavior
- Office
- E338 Corbett Family Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556 - ivargas@nd.edu
- Website
- https://sleeplab.nd.edu/
Research and teaching interests
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Sleep & Mental Health: Investigates the biological, behavioral, and cognitive pathways linking insomnia to mental health disorders, particularly depression. For example, a focus of his work is on how sleeplessness alters emotion regulation and cognitive vulnerabilities.
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Stress Neurobiology: Examines neuroendocrine mechanisms, specifically hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning and cortisol reactivity, involved in the transition from acute to chronic sleep disturbances.
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Accessible Interventions: Evaluates scalable treatment models, including brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) in primary care and community settings (e.g., single session CBT-I).
Biography
Dr. Ivan Vargas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, where he directs the Sleep and Health Research Lab. He earned his B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Notre Dame before completing his Ph.D. in Clinical Science (Psychology) at the University of Michigan, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship in Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Vargas is a licensed clinical psychologist in Indiana and a Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Dr. Vargas has over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health (including a K23 Career Development Award), Department of Health and Human Services, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and the Notre Dame Department of Athletics. His scientific contributions have been recognized with the Arthur Spielman Early Career Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award. At Notre Dame, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in sleep health, clinical science, and psychopathology.
Education
B.A., University of Notre Dame, 2010
Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2016
Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania, 2016-2019
Representative Publications
Vargas, I., Dickens, H., & Assar, A., (2026). From Better Sleep to Improved Mood: A Review of the Biological, Behavioral, and Cognitive Pathways for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia’s Antidepressant Effects. Current Sleep Medicine Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-026-00376-w.
Walker, J. Campbell, R., Bridges, A., Acosta, C., Ellis, J., Perlis, M.L., & Vargas, I. (2026). One-Session Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Integrated Primary Care: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Sleep Research. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nd.edu/10.1111/jsr.70324.
Assar, A., Walker, J., Egeler, M., Floyd, V., Dickens, H., & Vargas, I. (2026). Estimating Public Knowledge About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and Alternative Treatments. Behavioral Sleep Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2025.2610674.
Dickens, H., Gournay-Berman, L. R., Hill, M., Joslin, M. D. M., Walker, J., Makhanova, A., Leen-Feldner, E., & Vargas, I. (2026). Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Stress Response to a Laboratory-Based 10% CO2 Challenge in Healthy Adults. Psychoneuroendocrinology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107712.
Vargas, I., Muench, A., Grandner, M.A., Irwin, M.R. & Perlis, M.L. (2023). Insomnia symptoms predict longer COVID-19 symptom duration. Sleep medicine, 101, 365-372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2022.11.019.
Walker, J., Vargas, I., Drake, C.L., Ellis, J., Muench, A., & Perlis, M.L. (2022). The natural history of insomnia: high sleep reactivity interacts with greater life stress to predict the onset of acute insomnia. Sleep, 45(9), zsac149. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsac149.
Vargas, I. & Lopez-Duran, N.L. (2017). The cortisol awakening response (CAR) after sleep deprivation: is CAR a “response” to awakening or a circadian process? Journal of Health Psychology, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317738323.