team members

DR. Andrea Reinecke
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Head of the oxited Group

I am a psychologist with a PhD in Experimental Psychology, working as a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford. My research brings together clinical psychology, pharmacology and neurobiology to identify the cognitive and biological mechanisms underlying anxiety development and recovery. Such knowledge is essential to identify potential synergistic effects and to logically combine different treatments, which will allow us to condense different intervention forms into innovative and more economic formats. Our work is funded by an Oxford Brain Science Fellowship and research grants from the the Oxford University Press John-Fell Fund and the Medical Research Council.

LORIKA SHKRELI
DPHIL STUDENT 2019

I graduated in Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany and visited Andrea’s lab during my MSc 2018, where I investigated the effects of the angiotensin-II antagonist losartan on cognitive processing relevant in anxiety and depression. I started my DPhil with Andrea in October 2019. My main research interest is to take a step towards an integrated neurobiological understanding of anxiety and depression, by linking these disorders to growth factors, which may represent an underlying vulnerability biomarker for disorder onset. The long-term goal of this work is to identify patients with biological vulnerability, who might not respond well to current psychological treatment, to enhance therapeutic effects of such interventions by short-term targeted administration of drugs like losartan.

DIVYA PRASAD
DPhil stUDENT 2023

I previously completed my Honours Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree with distinction and MSc in Neuroscience at McMaster University in Canada. During my MSc, I studied women's mental health, exploring topics such as borderline personality features, anxiety, and depression during the perinatal period, as well as suicide risk in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. At Oxford, my DPhil research is supervised by Dr. Andrea Reinecke and is focused on examining the involvement of the renin-angiotensin system in anxiety and related mental health conditions. I am funded by the Department of Psychiatry and the Clarendon Fund scholarship, and through my research, hope to expand our mechanistic understanding of psychiatric disorders and improve outcomes for those suffering. Outside of work, I enjoy teaching, reading, and spending time with my dog. 

Leonardo Pinto Outes
Visiting Psychiatrist Researcher

I am a medical doctor currently undergoing higher specialty training in forensic psychiatry at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM). I am currently working in the team as a visiting researcher, exploring the processing of emotional information in healthy adolescents. Previously, I completed my medical degree at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. I then completed my core training in psychiatry at South West London, where I also did part of the higher specialty training in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Anoushka Sharma
​MSc by Research student 2023

I am working on an MSc by Research in Psychiatry at the University of Oxford (Oct, 2023) under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Reinecke. Previously, I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Psychology (May 2023). My current research is focused on investigating how growth factors, namely fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), substances naturally produced in the body, are related to anxiety, mood, and the processing of emotional information. The goal of my research is to gain insights into the neurobiological mechanisms involved in psychiatric disorders, with the ultimate aim of developing a simple blood based test that could help with earlier diagnosis and prognosis of anxiety or depression. Aside from psychology, I am passionate about holistic health/medicine and yoga!

SANIKA KULKARNI
DPhil student 2023

My DPhil project focusses on exploring the effects of the antihypertensive drug losartan on cognitive markers of mental illness. During my MPhil in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Cambridge, I studied apathy assessments and quality of life in patients with Huntington’s disease. Before that, I completed MSc in Clinical Neurosciences from Kings College London and BA in Neuroscience and Behaviour from Wesleyan University, USA, during which I acquired lab experience with animal studies, and patient-based human psychology studies. I have done multiple internships in Neurology in USA and India where I gained hands-on research experience. Besides, I am also interested in art history, languages, music, meditation, and travel. 

Rowan HASLAM
DPhil Student 2024

My research, supervised by Andrea Reinecke and Catherine Harmer, centres on behavioural activation and reward processing in people with anhedonia. I am jointly funded by the Oxford-MRC DTP and the Oxford-Radcliffe Scholarship at University College. Hailing from Glasgow, I have an MA in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MSc in Mental Health Studies from King’s College London. My previous research spans areas including personality disorders, autism, and eating disorders. I spent two years as an Honorary Research Fellow at UCL, where I worked on interdisciplinary research projects with the UCL Arista Institute.In addition to my current research, I am more broadly interested in the intersections between mental health, politics, and society.

GEORGIA FELTHAM
Research assisant

I am currently working as a research assistant in Andrea's lab, supporting research exploring the effects of cognitive enhancers on the processing of emotional information. I was previously at the University of Cambridge, working on a neuroimaging project with language development in children with developmental language disorders. I completed my BSc in Neuroscience at University of Sussex and MSc in Neuroimaging at the University of Manchester.

former team members

Marius Kunna
Visiting student 2023 (main supervisor)
Now a PhD student at Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Germany

Claire Lunde
DPhil student 2019-2023 (co-supervisor)
Now a Women's Health and Pain Scientific Consultant

Johannes Illgner
Visiting research student 2022
Now a PhD student at BMW Group Munich, Germany

Lauren Morse
MSc by Research student 2021 (main supervisor)

Theodora Thoroddsen
DPhil student 2018-2022 (main supervisor)
Now a mental health consultant in Arborg, Iceland

Emily Fay
MSc research student 2018 (main supervisor)
Now a medical student at University of Oxford, UK

Carolina Guzman-Holst
MSc research student 2018 (main supervisor)
Now a DPhil student at University of Oxford, UK

Judith Appel
Visiting research student 2017 (main supervisor)
Now a research associate at KU Leuven, Belgium

Joppe Klein-Breteler
Visiting MSc research student 2016 (main supervisor)
Now a PhD student at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Nils Kappelmann
Visiting research student 2016
Now a PhD student at Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany

Caroline Nettekoven
Visiting research student 2016
Now a DPhil student at the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity

Dr. Heike Rohrbacher
Former PhD student 2011-2016 (main supervisor)
Now a clinical psychologist in Munich, Germany

Dr. Mareike Suesse
DClinPsy research student 2015 (main supervisor)
Now a clinical psychologist in London

Dr. Kai Thilo
DClinPsy research student 2014 (main supervisor)
Now a clinical psychologist in private practice in Oxfordshire

Dr. Susann Schmiedgen (Steudte)
postdoctoral research placement 2014
Now a postdoc at Dresden University of Technology, Germany

Reinoud Kaldewaij (main supervisor)
Visiting MSc research student 2014
Now a PhD student at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Jan Guenthner (main supervisor)
MD doctoral research thesis placement 2013
Now a final year medical student at Heidelberg University, Germany

Bennard Doornbos
Postdoctoral Research Placement 2013
Now a Clinical Research Fellow at Groningen University, The Netherlands

Xijia Luo
MSc Research Placement 2011
Now a PhD student at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands