ABAI 2026 Outstanding Mentor – Shiri Ayvazo

Dr. Shiri Ayvazo (BCBA-D) is an Associate Professor and a leading scholar in applied behavior analysis. She serves as Head of the M.A. program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Kinneret Academic College and directs the ABA certificate program at David Yellin Academic College in Israel. In addition, she leads behavior-analytic services within the Israeli Ministry of Education.

Dr. Ayvazo’s work focuses on applying behavior analysis in educational and clinical settings, particularly in supporting children with challenging behaviors and training educators and behavior analysts. Her research emphasizes the development of social skills and regulation of maladaptive behavior through self-management interventions, often within naturalistic and physical activity contexts.

Across her academic and professional roles, Dr. Ayvazo is deeply committed to mentorship. She works closely with her students as research partners, guiding them to meet high scholarly standards and supporting them in achieving publication and professional growth. Her mentorship is characterized by accessibility, responsiveness, and a strong investment in students’ personal and professional development. Over nearly two decades, she has mentored and trained generations of behavior analysts, primarily in Israel, contributing to the development of a growing professional community. In this capacity, she plays a central role in advancing the behavior-analytic field in Israel by fostering professional growth, creating pathways for developing practitioners and researchers, and shaping the field’s development, policy, and professional standards. She is widely recognized as a leading and influential figure and as a pioneering woman advancing behavior analysis within the national context.