Joy Krecké (she/her)

Joy is a researcher trained in psychopharmacology whose work focuses on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and ketamine, with the broader aim of enhancing psychedelic safety and education across both clinical and non-clinical contexts. Her research examines the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying these substances’ subjective and therapeutic effects, systematically evaluates their risks and benefits, and contributes to the development of evidence-based harm reduction strategies.

Her academic trajectory spans law, medicine, and psychology, culminating in a Research Master’s degree in Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience from Maastricht University. Since 2022, she has worked in the lab of Celia Morgan at the University of Exeter, where she coordinated a mechanistic study investigating ketamine as a potential intervention for problematic gambling.

As a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter, Joy's current research examines opioid system modulation as a strategy to optimise ketamine’s therapeutic efficacy while reducing potential harms and misuse liability. Specifically, her work investigates the role of mu-opioid receptor signalling in mediating ketamine’s therapeutic and misuse-related effects. 

Since early 2024, Joy has also been involved with the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project (CPEP), contributing to research, public outreach, and harm reduction initiatives. She edits the monthly CPEP Psychedelic Safety Research Round-Up and participates in a Psychedelic Safety Working Group, fostering research collaboration and advancing critical discussions around psychedelic risks, adverse experiences, and appropriate support frameworks.