DrMelanie Föcking

Dr Melanie Föcking is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is Year 4 Co-Lead for the Undergraduate Medicine programme and Director of the European Clinical Electives programme, where she oversees key elements of curriculum delivery and supports students in accessing high-quality international clinical training opportunities.

Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, with a particular emphasis on translational approaches that bridge basic neuroscience and clinical psychiatry. She applies proteomic and molecular methods to investigate biological pathways involved in psychosis, including immune and inflammatory dysregulation and neurodevelopmental risk processes.

Her work aims to improve early detection, refine diagnostic approaches and identify novel therapeutic targets for severe mental illness. She collaborates widely with national and international partners across psychiatry, neuroscience and systems biology.

In addition to her research, Dr Föcking is committed to medical education, curriculum development and the mentoring of undergraduate and postgraduate students.