Navigating Circadian Rhythms and Investment Strategies: A Look at Chris Chae's Colleagues at Blackstone and the Impact of Light on Biological Systems

This article explores two seemingly disparate topics: the professional network of Chris Chae at Blackstone, as gleaned from LinkedIn, and a scientific study examining the influence of light on circadian rhythms in mice. By juxtaposing these themes, we aim to provide a multifaceted perspective, touching on both the human element of professional connections and the biological factors that influence behavior.

The Blackstone Network: A Glimpse at Chris Chae's Potential Colleagues

While specific information about Chris Chae's UCLA LinkedIn profile is unavailable, a review of Blackstone's leadership and team members offers insight into the caliber of professionals within the firm. These individuals hold diverse roles and possess extensive experience across various sectors. Below are brief profiles of some professionals who may be Chris Chae's colleagues.

Investment Professionals:

Jennifer Abate: A Senior Managing Director at Blackstone and Head of the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Channel within the firm's Private Wealth team. Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Abate was a Managing Director at Lazard Asset Management, where she served as Head of the Financial Institutions Group. Ms. Abate received her MBA from New York University and her BA from Fairfield University.
Qasim Abbas: The Head of Tactical Opportunities International at Blackstone. Mr. Abbas leads the group’s European and Asian investment strategy and is a member of the Tactical Opportunities Investment Committee. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Abbas was a Portfolio Manager with Trafalgar Asset Managers. Mr. Abbas received a BA in Economics and Government from Clark University.
Riad Abrahams: Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Abrahams served as Chief Strategist and Head of Quantitative Investing at Maverick Capital. Mr. Abrahams received a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Abhishek Agarwal: A Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group and Head of Core+ EMEA and APAC, based in London. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Agarwal worked as a software developer with Microsoft. He received a Bachelors in Technology from the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT).
A. J. Agarwal: Previously oversaw more than $50 billion of investment transactions across all real estate asset classes for Blackstone’s opportunistic real estate funds. Mr. Agarwal graduated from Princeton University and received his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Vishal Amin: A Senior Managing Director in Blackstone Growth focused on Consumer and Enterprise Solutions. Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Amin was a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Mr. Amin holds a BA in Public Policy Studies with a Certificate in Health Policy from Duke University.
Samir Amichi: The Head of Real Estate Acquisitions Europe, based in London. Since joining Blackstone in 2011, Mr. Amichi has been involved in a number of Blackstone’s investments in Europe, including OfficeFirst, Mileway, St.
Animesh Agrawal: A Managing Director in the Private Equity Group based in Mumbai, where he focusses on investments in Technology and Business services, and Consumer derivative sectors.

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Other Key Personnel:

Stephen D. Adams: A Managing Director in the Blackstone Private Wealth legal group. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Adams was a senior associate in the Asset Management group at Ropes & Gray LLP. Mr. Adams received a BA from Rice University and JD from Harvard Law School.
Matthew Alcide: A Managing Director and the Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (“BXSL”) and Blackstone Private Credit Fund (“BCRED”) for Blackstone Credit and Insurance (BXCI) based in New York. Mr. Alcide graduated magna cum laude from Providence College with a BS in Accounting.
Matt Anderson: A Senior Managing Director for Global Public Affairs. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Anderson served as Deputy Superintendent for Public Affairs at the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).
Saif Assam: A Senior Managing Director in the Institutional Client Solutions Group. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Assam worked for the Dubai Government's direct investment / private equity arm.
Glen Bartley: A Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group of Blackstone and the Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT).

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Marisa Beeney: The General Counsel of Blackstone Credit in Blackstone Credit and Insurance (BXCI) based in New York.

This selection of profiles illustrates the diverse expertise and backgrounds found within Blackstone, suggesting a dynamic and multifaceted professional environment.

The Influence of Light Spectral Properties on Circadian Rhythms

The fields of chronobiology and conservation biology are converging, focusing on physiological responses to daily cycles and the impact of nighttime light pollution. Researchers have long studied sleep, hormone production, and activity patterns in model organisms, both in the lab and in the wild. Artificial light at night affects foraging, activity patterns, and reproduction across various species.

Responses to light fall into two categories: influences on circadian rhythms (entrainment of an endogenous oscillator) and masking (changes in response to an external signal without influencing the endogenous oscillator). Photons are detected by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) that express melanopsin, with peak sensitivity at 480 nm. Rod and cone photoreceptors also provide inputs to ipRGCs, indicating sensitivity to a broad spectrum of light. The light induction of the immediate early gene cFos in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a reliable measure of photic regulation of the circadian clock.

Manipulating the spectral composition of light can influence circadian and seasonal physiological responses in humans and wildlife. The differing visual systems of taxonomic groups allow for behavioral responses (masking) influenced by the spectral composition of light. While both light intensity and spectrum are important to wildlife, their relative importance deserves more investigation.

Investigating Light Effects on House Mice

A study investigated the impact of light intensity and spectral composition on a behavioral response in house mice (Mus musculus). Researchers used a custom LED illumination system to document the response of wild-type house mice to 1-h nocturnal exposure of all combinations of four intensity levels (0.01, 0.5, 5 and 50 lx) and three correlated color temperatures (CCT; 1750, 1950 and 3000 K). The lowest light levels used are comparable to measurements taken in open desert habitat that is home to many nocturnal rodent species.

Key Findings

Higher intensities of light (50 lx) suppressed cage activity substantially, and consistently more for the higher CCT light (91% for 3000 K, 53% for 1750 K). At the lowest intensity (0.01 lx), mean activity was increased, with the greatest increases for the lowest CCT (12.3% increase at 1750 K, 3% increase at 3000 K). Multiple linear regression confirmed the influence of both CCT and intensity on changes in activity, with the scaled effect size of intensity 3.6 times greater than that of CCT. Activity suppression was significantly lower for male than for female mice. Assessment of light-evoked cFos expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus at 50 lx showed no significant difference between high and low CCT exposure.

Experimental Setup

Mice were entrained to a light:dark cycle consisting of 12 h of light (350 lx; 3000 K) and 12 h of dark for at least 2 weeks, and then exposed to four levels of light intensity (0.01, 0.5, 5 and 50 lx), each at three different CCTs (1750, 1950 and 3000 K) for 1 h at Zeitgeber time (ZT) 14. Home cage activity based on wheel running behavior was reported to a VitalView data recording system. Locomotor activity level during the light exposure was compared with the activity at the same phase (ZT14-15) in the prior day.

Hypotheses

Based on preliminary calculations with response curves and the spectral power distributions of the proposed light sources, researchers hypothesized that:

Lower correlated color temperature (CCT) lights would deviate less from control conditions because they overlap less with the mouse visual and melanopic responses.
Illumination similar to the darker half of the lunar cycle would result in greater activity compared with much darker conditions regularly created in laboratory conditions.
Indicators of circadian regulation, such as light induction of cFos in the SCN, would be less impacted by the lower CCT light in comparison to the higher CCT light delivered at equal apparent intensity.

Calibration of Dimmest Exposure

Field data were taken in Coachella Valley, CA, USA, along State Route 62 as an example of open desert habitat with many native rodent species, located >3 km from the nearest urban development. The average scalar illuminance at 15 locations from 10 to 400 m from a highway was 0.020 lx. This corresponded to a cos-adjusted illuminance of 0.007 lx, comparable with the illumination produced by a quarter (crescent) moon at its brightest of 0.008 lx. The lower limit of the light meter was 0.01 lx, so this was set as the lowest exposure for the experiment.

Implications

These findings highlight the complex interplay between light intensity and spectral composition in influencing the behavior of nocturnal animals. Understanding these interactions is crucial for assessing and mitigating the ecological effects of artificial light at night.

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