Raquel Correia is a PhD candidate in Biomedicine and Health Sciences at the School of Medicine, University of Minho, working in behavioral and systems neuroscience. Under the supervision of Ana João Rodrigues, PhD, and Carina Soares-Cunha, PhD, her research explores how neuronal ensembles in the nucleus accumbens process rewarding and aversive experiences, aiming to clarify the neural mechanisms underlying motivation and emotional regulation. To address these questions, she combines animal behavior with advanced experimental approaches, including fiber photometry, optogenetics, and in vivo electrophysiology.

With a background in Biochemistry and Health Sciences, Raquel has contributed to several research projects and published in peer-reviewed journals. She regularly presents her work at international scientific conferences and has been involved in the co-supervision of undergraduate students as well as the organization of scientific events.