Melissa Salavrakos, MMed, studies the effects of heavy chronic alcohol consumption on the brain, using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. She investigates the relationships between brain structure and function, behavioural parameters and plasmatic inflammation markers. Her research focuses on a cohort of patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and hospitalised for alcohol detoxification.

She is currently a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program at the Université Catholique de Louvain’s Institute of Neurosciences (IONS). Her research activities are funded by the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) & the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) Fellowship.