Orestis Tzirtzilakis is a fourth-year DPhil candidate in Medieval and Modern Languages at Merton College, University of Oxford. He previously studied Philosophy and the Arts at the University of Patras and the University of Warwick.

His research lies at the intersection of the Medical Humanities and Cultural Studies. His doctoral thesis, A Cultural Genealogy of Modern Greek Hysteria, 19th–20th Century, explores critical moments in which medical discourses of hysteria intersect with the performance and formation of modern Greek identity. In examining a wide range of cultural texts—from the works of national poet Dionysios Solomos and early twentieth-century theatre to the cinematic performances of Thanasis Veggos and the performance art of the 1980s—his thesis investigates how the performance and writing of hysteria has challenged conventional narratives about the nation.