EABA Board Members
Board members will serve for two years, with offices staggered across election cycles.
- President: with overall responsibility for the development of EABA, calling meetings, organising working parties to deal with specific issues, organising a committee to hold bi-annual conferences, and organising EABA committee elections. At the end of his/her term, the President remains for one extra year as Past President to ensure continuity.
- Past President: the previous President who remains for one or two extra years to ensure continuity.
- Treasurer: with responsibility for managing the EABA account, collection of membership fees and conference registration, and to liaise with other organisations and providers with regard to any financial matters.
- Secretary: with responsibility for maintaining the membership list, organising and maintaining the EABA web site, informing EJoBA of members’ addresses, and minuting EABA committee meetings.
- Basic Science Representative: with responsibility for maintaining and forwarding the basic science objectives of the organisation through links with other academic institutions.
- Applied Science Representative: with responsibility for maintaining and forwarding the applied science objectives of the organisation and liaising with accreditation boards, etc.
President 2020-2022
Aoife McTiernan
I am a lecturer in Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway where I direct the MSc and PhD in Behaviour Analysis. I have worked with educational settings and disability services for fifteen years with much of my clinical work initially focused on early intervention and positive behaviour supports for children and adolescents with autism. After graduating with a PhD in Applied Behaviour Analysis, specifically in the area of Precision Teaching, my research and clinical focus expanded to include an emphasis on behavioural approaches to accelerate learning for students at risk in mainstream classrooms. I believe that dissemination and integration of evidence-based approaches and supports in educational settings is of the utmost importance.
I have a special interest in Precision Teaching and currently serve as the Vice President for International Relations for the Standard Celeration Society (SCS) in the US. This involves facilitating international collaboration amongst the Precision Teaching community and bringing people together to share expertise and knowledge on an international level. The first international conference of the SCS will be in Galway, Ireland in 2022. I am a Chartered Behavioural Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), and a committee member of the PSI Division of Behaviour Analysis which promotes and guides the development of behaviour analysis as a professional field in Ireland. I have published in, and review for, a number of international journals and serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Behavioral Education.
I believe the EABA is an important organisation for promoting and advancing behaviour analysis on our continent and serves a valuable role in bringing researchers and practitioners together to promote common goals and values. I have been privileged to be a part of EABA initiatives to date having received an invitation to speak at the upcoming EABA conference in 2022 and having supervised the research which received the EABA BF Skinner Foundation Student Research Award for 2019. Given the recent changes to certification pathways for behaviour analysts, it has become increasingly important for EABA to play a continued role in bringing our communities together, fostering inclusivity and collaboration, and providing support to advance our field in Europe.
Past President 2018-2020
Erik Arntzen
Dr. Erik Arntzen received his Ph.D. from University of Oslo, Norway, in February 2000. Arntzen’s dissertation focused on variables that influenced responding in accordance with stimulus equivalence. He also holds a degree in clinical psychology. He is currently a full-time Professor in Behavior Analysis at Oslo and Akershus University College (OAUC). His research contributions include both basic and applied behavior analysis, with an emphasis on research in relational stimulus control and verbal behavior. Lately, he has started a research project with a focus on remembering functions in patients with dementia. He has also been interested in ethical considerations and core values in the field of behavior analysis. Furthermore, he has ongoing research projects within the areas of gambling behavior and consumer behavior. He also runs a Behavior Analysis Lab at OAUC.
Dr. Arntzen has published papers in a number of different journals including Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB), Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), The Psychological Record, Behavioral Interventions, European Journal of Behavior Analysis (EJOBA), Experimental of Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, Analysis of Gambling Behavior, the Analysis of Verbal Behavior, American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & other Dementias, and Psychopharmacology.
Dr. Arntzen has served as the president and past-president of the European ABA (2008–2014). Dr. Arntzen has been a member of the board of the Norwegian Association for Behavior Analysis from 1987–1993 and from 2006 to present, holds the position as the secretary of international affairs. Dr. Arntzen is a trustee of Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. He has presented papers at conferences worldwide. Dr. Arntzen has been recognized with awards, including the SABA award for the dissemination of behavior analysis, ABAI award for outstanding mentoring, the research award at Akershus University College, and publication award at OAUC. Dr. Arntzen is one of the founders and the editor of European Journal of Behavior Analysis. He has also served as the editor of Behavior & Philosophy. He has served on the editorials board of several journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Psychological Record, International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the Behavior Analyst, and The Behavior Analyst Today.
Treasurer - 2023
Dr. David Cole
Anchored in his academic pursuits at Washington University in St. Louis and further bolstered with a master's degree from St. Cloud State University, David has made notable contributions in research. As a student, he developed Formative Grapher, complimentary software designed for time-series data, now adopted by multiple academic institutions. Subsequently, he delved into the neuropsychology of decision-making by humans and animals. His research, supported by fifteen grants and awards, has found a place in numerous peer-reviewed journals.
David joined the EABA, a community of researchers and practitioners united by common aspirations and values, recognizing it as a cornerstone for behavior analysis throughout Europe. As Treasurer, he brings to the role experience with founding companies, catalyzing the growth of multiple European ABA providers, lobbying on Capitol Hill, and steering other nonprofit boards. David specifically brings expertise in financial stewardship, encompassing budgeting, resource allocation, and forward-thinking financial planning.
Honored to contribute to the European community, David is steadfast in his commitment to uphold and amplify sustainable growth.
Secretary 2023
Francesco Sulla
Francesco Sulla, Ph. D., Doctor Europaeus, graduated with a Ph.D. in Psychology from Parma University (Italy) in 2015.
I am currently assistant professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Foggia University in Italy, where I also teach ABA interventions for pupils with autism and intellectual disabilities in a postgraduate course for trainee special needs teachers. During my doctorate, I conducted research on the effects of teacher contingent approval on pupils' social and academic behaviour collecting data both in Italy and the UK for a cross-cultural comparison. I have also been visiting lecturer at the University of Iceland and I am collaborating in the design of studies aiming at investigating the existing rate of teacher approval and disapproval in Icelandic classes as well.
My most recent publications on this topic are:
Sulla, F. & Rollo, D. (2023). The Effect of a Short Course on a Group of Italian Primary School Teachers’ Rates of Praise and Their Pupils’ On-Task Behaviour. Education Sciences, 13(1), 78.
Apter, B., Sulla, F., & Swinson, J. (2020). A review of recent large-scale systematic UK classroom observations, method and findings, utility and impact. Educational Psychology in Practice, 36(4), 367-385.
Pálsdóttir, B., Sigurðardóttir, Z.G., Sulla, F. (2019), Áhrif jákvæðrar og neikvæðrar endurgjafar á námsástundun og félagslega hegðun nemenda [The effects of positive and negative feedback on students’ on-task and social behavior]. Sálfræðiritið – Tímarit Sálfræðingafélags Íslands, 24. árg. 2019 bls. 23–35
In August 2019, I was invited speaker at the EABA International Summer School in Latvia.
From 2008 to 2011, I was a trainee CABAS® (Comprehensive Application of Behaviour Analysis to Schooling) teacher, specialising in education and rehabilitation of children with intellectual/learning disabilities and autism. From 2016 to 2021, I worked as school psychologist in a middle school and also supported families through social services delivering home-based parent training on the management of challenging behaviours.
Applied Representative 2020-2022
Berglind Sveinbjörnsdóttir
Dr. Sveinbjörnsdóttir received her PhD in behavior analysis from Western New England University. While completing her PhD, she worked at the New England Center for Children as a program specialist. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at Reykjavik University (RU) and the director of the MSc program in Applied Behavior Analysis at RU. In addition, Berglind has a part-time position at Landspitali-The National University Hospital of Iceland and is a member of the professional council for Heilabrot, a rehabilitation center for individuals with acquired brain injury and challenging behavior. Her primary research focus is mainly in the area of problem behavior, sleep, pre-school life skills, and virtual reality. She also specializes in consultation regarding assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. Berglind has served as guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Research in Developmental Disabilities and is currently the president of the Icelandic association of Behavior Analysis (ICEABA).
Since moving back to Iceland in 2015 one of my goals and emphasis has been in disseminating the science of behavior analysis. In 2018, I was part of a team that set up the first MSc program in Applied Behavior Analysis in Iceland. The program is also the only one in Iceland that meets the BACB coursework standards. Because there are few behavior analysts in Iceland and misconceptions about the practice of ABA are still common, one of the emphasis and goal of the program is to disseminate the science of behavior analysis. To accomplish this goal we have focused on highlighting applied research as well as collaborating with clinicians in the field and established practicum opportunities in various settings in Iceland.
Throughout my work in Iceland I have been a strong advocate for the ABAI/BACB curriculum and practicum standards for behavior analysts. As the president of ICE-ABA I have served as the ACE provider as well as collaborated with other professionals in the field in setting standards for behavior analysts in Iceland. Equally, I have been a part of a group of behavior analysts from the Nordic countries who are setting up academic/practicum standards and certification/licensure for behavior analysts in the Nordic countries.
Co-experimental Representatives 2022-2024
Gabriela E. López-Tolsa
Dra. Gabriela E. López-Tolsa received her PhD in 2018 from Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED, Spain). She has almost 15 years of experience conducting research on Experimental Analysis of Behaviour, mostly with animal models including rats, pigeons, and quails. She is currently working at UNED, where she supervises PhD and master’s students, conducts her own research, and works at the Learning and Animal Behaviour Laboratory, ran by Ricardo Pellón.
Gabriela’s research carrier started in México, her country of origin, but she has also conducted research in Colombia and Spain, as well as taken opportunities to collaborate with researchers from Norway, Portugal and New Zealand. She has also been invited to give talks in Iceland, Bulgaria, Spain and México. Her main research interest is understanding the mechanism(s) by which behaviour is acquired, organized, and maintained, particularly the inductions vs. reinforcement debate. She has also participated in projects on other topics including timing, delay discounting, suboptimal choice, activity-based anorexia, and superstition.
She has received multiple awards and honours, including the 2017 B. F. Skinner Foundation Research Award for Students in Europe and the Extraordinary Doctorate Award. She has published in a number of international journals and currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She also served as a Student representative for the Society for Quantitative Analysis of Behavior (SQAB). She is an advocate for female representation in Experimental Analysis of Behaviour and considers EABA to be an outstanding organization for such undertaking.
Ciara Padden
Dr. Ciara Padden received her PhD in Applied Behaviour Analysis from the National University of Ireland Galway. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Learning Disability at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent, where she is the Director of the MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis and MSc in Positive Behaviour Support. She also acts as the Centre’s consultancy manager.
From 2017-2019, Ciara served on the Board of Directors for the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis (UK-SBA), and contributed to the Society’s efforts to achieve professional recognition of behaviour analysis in the UK and more recently the development of UK-specific certification standards. She is also a member of the Sharland Foundation Developmental Disabilities Research and Impact Network (SF-DDARIN), which draws together and facilitates collaboration among like-minded researchers and practitioners working in the field of behaviour analysis in the UK. She is a Trustee for the charity Positive Behaviour Support for Learning.
Ciara’s primary research interests are skills teaching and supporting adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ensuring fidelity in the delivery of behaviour-analytic intervention, and understanding the systems that influence behaviour change. She is passionate about caregiver support and collaboration. Ciara has published in and reviewed for a number of international journals. She has also contributed to the development of training standards as a member of the PBS Academy. She is passionate about the dissemination of behaviour analysis, and training skilled and compassionate behaviour analysts.