Melissa is the project manager for the STOP AD 5-Year Follow-Up Study.

Melissa is a multidisciplinary academic and researcher whose PhD research focused on social pathologies, particularly anxiety and depression, amongst young adults in Ireland from a bio-psycho-socio perspective. In addition to here PhD in Sociology from University College Cork, she holds a BA in journalism and media and a BA: Honours in criminology from The University of the Free State in South Africa, as well as a BSocSci: Honours in psychology, and an MPhil in criminology from the University of Cape Town.

Her interests include but are not limited to: ethics, sociology, criminology, penology and correctional measures, psychology, victimology, instructional design, and online culture. Her employment history includes victim support services, child residential care, child correctional services, research, administration, and lecturing.