2023 Fellows of ABAI: Jesús Rosales-Ruiz

Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz is an associate professor in the Behavior Analysis Department at the University of North Texas, where he has worked since 1994. In 1995, he received his Ph.D. in Experimental Child Psychology from the University of Kansas, where he studied under Dr. Donald M. Baer and Dr. Ogden R. Lindsley. Since 2020, he has served as the director of the Beatrice H. Barrett Behavior Analytic Neuroscience Initiative at the University of North Texas. Among his many significant contributions to behavior analysis is the behavioral development cusp, introduced in 1996 together with Dr. Baer. This groundbreaking work provides a behavior analytic account of the rapid changes that are often considered developmental and offers practitioners guidance when selecting target behaviors. Additionally, Dr. Rosales-Ruiz has been at the forefront of bringing the science of behavior to the growing field of human-animal interactions. His work on functional analysis and shaping has helped bridge the gap between academia and applied animal training. He is also the co-creator of PORTL, the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab, a tabletop game which allows students and practitioners to experience behavioral principles and practice their teaching skills.