About us
Engineering systems begins with understanding people.
Science, technology and human engineering for safer, more sustainable organisations.
GILBRETH X is a Portuguese brand focused on human systems engineering and technology applied to work organisation and operational decision-making. We bring together expertise in sleep science, human factors, operational management and data analysis to help organisations better understand the relationship between working conditions, human capabilities and operational performance. Our starting point is shift work, fatigue exposure and recovery.
Our vision is broader: integrating human capabilities and limitations into the way work systems are designed, managed and improved.
Why GILBRETH X exists
Technology has transformed how organisations operate. Yet decisions about working time, staffing and operational efficiency do not always take sufficient account of the people responsible for delivering them. Scientific knowledge about sleep, fatigue, recovery and human performance is extensive, but its translation into practical management criteria remains a challenge.
GILBRETH X was created to help bridge this gap. Our approach brings together scientific knowledge, operational data and human factors to support better-informed decisions about work organisation, while recognising the practical constraints under which organisations operate.
We believe that understanding human capabilities should be part of designing a system, not simply a response when problems arise.
The people behind GILBRETH X
Different perspectives. A shared understanding of people and work. GILBRETH X brings together complementary experience in sleep science, clinical services, methodology development and operational management.
Our team combines scientific understanding with experience in demanding organisational environments, connecting human factors with the practical realities of work.
Eulália Gomes
Scientific and Strategic Leadership
A psychologist practising clinically in the field of sleep, with experience in service management and organisational leadership.
She leads GILBRETH X's scientific and strategic direction, bringing together evidence from sleep science, human factors and the operational requirements of shift-based organisations.
Her work focuses on understanding how working conditions, fatigue and biological rhythms influence human performance, recovery and organisational resilience.
Rita Chaves
Product and Methodology Development
With a background in Veterinary Medicine and leadership experience in complex clinical environments, Rita contributes to the design and development of GILBRETH X's assessment instruments, methodological processes and service solutions.
Her work helps connect operational realities with structured approaches to assessment, product development and the organisation of work.
Filipa Ribeiro
Strategy and Operations
With a background in Veterinary Medicine and experience in clinical service management and operational strategy, Filipa contributes to aligning GILBRETH X's methodology with organisational requirements and implementation conditions.
Her perspective helps ensure that proposed approaches remain grounded in operational constraints, service continuity and practical feasibility.
Why the name GILBRETH X?
Inspired by a pioneer who understood that better systems begin with people.
Our name pays tribute to Lillian Moller Gilbreth (1878–1972), a psychologist and pioneer of industrial engineering who helped bring human behaviour and psychology into the scientific study of work. Together with Frank Gilbreth, she contributed to the development of approaches to work analysis that considered both operational processes and human effort. Her legacy reflects an idea that remains remarkably relevant: improving efficiency should not be separated from understanding the people who make work possible.
GILBRETH X draws inspiration from this principle.
We believe that scientific understanding of human capabilities, combined with engineering and technology, can contribute to work systems that are more effective, safer and more sustainable. The GILBRETH X brand is an independent initiative and has no institutional affiliation with the Gilbreth family or organisations associated with their historical work.
Our foundations
From BioPerformanceLab to GILBRETH X
GILBRETH X builds on the experience and methodological work developed through BioPerformanceLab, an initiative focused on the relationship between sleep, fatigue, shift organisation, human performance and operational safety. This foundation has shaped our approach to understanding how work organisation interacts with biological and human factors.
The evolution to GILBRETH X reflects a broader ambition: moving beyond the assessment of fatigue-related exposure towards a more integrated perspective on human systems engineering. Our purpose remains consistent — to bring scientific understanding of people closer to the decisions that shape their working environments.
Our guiding principles
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People are part of the system:
Human capabilities and limitations must be considered alongside operational, technical and organisational requirements. -
Science should inform practice:
Evidence, assessment criteria, assumptions and limitations should be communicated transparently, distinguishing established knowledge from findings that require further investigation. -
Technology should support human decisions:
Data analysis, structured assessment and scenario comparison can strengthen decision-making, but do not replace professional judgement or organisational responsibility. -
Solutions must work in practice:
Effective approaches must respect staffing requirements, available skills, service continuity and the realities of each organisation.
Our ambition
We want human factors to become a natural part of operational engineering.
A future in which the organisation of work is informed not only by what operations require, but also by what people can sustainably deliver.
Where science informs decisions, technology supports understanding, and prevention is integrated into the design of work.
Human capability. Engineered in.
Better work systems begin with a better understanding of people.
Discover how GILBRETH X can support your organisation in exploring more informed approaches to work organisation, fatigue-related exposure and operational resilience.