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Dr. Anna Ingeborg Petursdottir directs the Language & Learning Lab at University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Anna was born and raised in Akureyri in northern Iceland. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Iceland, and her Masters and PhD degrees in behavior analysis from Western Michigan University. Anna recently joined the faculty at UNR as an associate professor of behavior analysis in the Department of Psychology, having previously been on faculty at Texas Christian University from 2006 to 2023. She also holds a part-time lecturer appointment at Reykjavik University, where she teaches a course every year. Anna's interest in verbal behavior and related topics goes back to her early experiences working in the field of autism, and her research questions remain frequently driven by practical questions and concerns. Besides nerding out in the lab, Anna likes to hike, ride her bike, spend time with family, travel, read literary fiction, watch the occasional soccer game, and play the piano (badly).
Current Graduate Students
Abraão Figueira de Melo
Abraão Figueira de Melo
Abraão has been a doctoral student at the University of Nevada, Reno since 2021. Before moving to Reno, he lived in his hometown of Belém, located in the northern region of Brazil. Abraão has been interested in the analysis of verbal behavior since his first semester in the Federal University of Pará, where he earned both his Bachelor’s degree in psychology and his Master’s degree in behavior theory and research with an emphasis in experimental psychology. Abraão has specific interests across the basic, theoretical and applied domains of behavior analysis, all revolving around issues in the different functionalistic approaches to verbal behavior, particularly between derived relational responding (including equivalence), Skinner’s verbal behavior and interbehavioral psychology. When he’s not working, Abraão loves hiking around the scenic mountains of the Reno-Tahoe area, traveling to new places and meeting new people, going to local band shows, and spending quality time with friends and other loved ones.
Ruoxi "Jo" Qiao
Ruoxi "Jo" Qiao
Jo is a first-year doctoral student at the University of Nevada, Reno. Originally from China, she moved to the United States to pursue her graduate studies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis from Arizona State University. Jo has three years of experience working as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), providing frontline support to individuals with autism. Her research interests primarily focus on verbal behavior and the application of behavioral theories to practice. For her master’s thesis, she examined how different stimulus presentation orders affect conditional discrimination. In her free time, Jo enjoys spending time with her cat and hamster, watching movies, singing, and playing computer games.
Masaya Yamaguchi
Masaya Yamaguchi
Masaya Yamaguchi joined the PhD program in Behavior Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno, in August 2025. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Tsukuba, Japan. During his first semester there, he encountered Skinner’s Verbal Behavior and quickly developed a strong interest in the subject. He also spent a year as an exchange student at California State University, Fresno, where he deepened his understanding of behavior analysis. His research interests broadly concern verbal behavior, with particular emphasis on both basic and translational research. Specific areas of focus include emergent learning, multiple control, foreign language acquisition, and conceptual as well as philosophical issues in behavior analysis. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing soccer, reading fiction, and cycling.
Current Undergraduate Students
Alexandra Blessing
Cal Cottone
Ilona Coutee
Affiliates
Aarti Thakore, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, Central Texas Autism Center
Dr. Thakore is Director of Clinical Research at the Central Texas Autism Center (CTAC). She has been working in the field for almost 20 years, empowering individuals with special needs and their families from different cultures and sections of the society, globally. She has extensive experience in clinical practice across various hospitals, non-profit organizations, and public schools. She is very passionate about research and applications of Behavior Science to overall learning experiences of individuals with and without disabilities. Her areas of interest in behavioral research are: Replication and extension of verbal behavior research to examine efficient procedures for teaching language to children diagnosed with Autism, Functional assessment to prevent the problem behaviors in young individuals with disabilities, and extension of Skinner’s analysis of behavior in understanding of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Our lab has had ongoing research collaboration with Dr. Thakore since 2017.
Lab Alumni
PhD:
Dr. Juliana Oliveira, Assistant Professor, Munroe-Meyer Institute at University of Nebraska Medical School
Dr. Reagan McGee (formerly Cox), Assistant Professor of Practice, University of Kansas.
Dr. Bailey Devine, President, Behavior Experts of Texas
Dr. Tracy Lepper, Associate Professor of Psychology and Program Director, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Dr. Charlotte Carp, Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Director, University of Houston
M.S.:
Sadie Klassen, M.S., Nevada Positive Behavior Supports and Intervention Technical Assistance Center
Dr. Sean Peterson, PhD in behavior analysis from University of Nebraska Medical Center
Past visiting graduate students:
Heloisa Zapparoli from Federal University of São Carlos
Josiane Donadeli from Federal University of São Carlos
Luis Freitas from Federal University of Pará
Jonas Gamba from Federal University of São Carlos
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