Mariel Messer, PhD

Dr. Mariel Messer is a Lecturer and Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at Deakin University in Australia. Dr. Messer specializes in body image and disordered eating. More specifically, her research focuses on identifying early risk factors for eating disorders and developing scalable preventive interventions, including Single Session Interventions (SSIs) that have proven efficacy in clinical trials. Dr. Messer has published dozens of academic papers on these topics and more recently is exploring the use of AI models in eating disorder care. Dr. Messer has contributed to the development and evaluation of digital health applications, such as smartphone-based dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) tools, to enhance accessibility and engagement in mental health care. Her work has been featured in prominent media outlets, reflecting its impact on public health discourse. In addition to her research, Dr. Messer is actively involved in teaching and supervising fourth year and PhD students in health psychology and related fields.