Dr. Chris Podlesnik

My research focuses on the role of fundamental conditioning processes in choice and the emergence and re-emergence of behavior. Some of this research is translational and pertains to understanding lapses and relapse of behavior, with the goal of making behavioral treatments for challenging or dangerous operant behavior more durable. I am faculty in the Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Florida, after previously holding faculty positions at Auburn University, the Florida Institute of Technology, and The University of Auckland. I also completed a post doctoral fellowship in the Pharmacology Department at the University of Michigan. I served as Associate Editor for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and Behavioral Processes, am past President and Program Chair for the Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior, and served as board member for the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. I received the 2011 BF Skinner Early Career Award from Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, the 2016 Federation of Associations in Behavior and Brain Sciences Early Career Impact Award for the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the 2024 Don Hake Translational Research Award from Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, and the 2026 Award for Scientific Translation from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis. I am also a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral (BCBA-D). I received my PhD from Utah State University and a BA from West Virginia University.

Google Scholar Profile Research Gate Profile LinkedIn Profile

Doctoral students

• Carla N. Martínez-Pérez, M.S.
  
  

  

• Carla started at UF as a PhD student in 2022. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Biology from St. Lawrence University in 2021. During her undergraduate studies, she collaborated with her advisor, Dr. Adam Fox, on multiple research projects exploring delay discounting in both rats and humans. Carla went on to earn her master’s degree in Behavior Analysis from the University of Florida in 2024, under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Podlesnik. Her current research interests center on the quantitative analysis of relapse phenomena. In 2023, Carla received the Innovative Student Research Grant from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis.

• Kyleigh L. Montague, B.S.
  
  

  

• Kyleigh started at UF as a PhD student in 2022. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis from Kennesaw State University in 2021. While at KSU, she served as an undergraduate research fellow at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where she later worked as a post-baccalaureate research fellow before joining the POD Lab. She currently investigates behavioral processes contributing to relapse and evaluates mitigation techniques to attenuate these effects. Further, Kyleigh is interested in refining quantitative and theoretical models of choice to better describe and explain dynamic behavior change. Kyleigh received the 2024 Innovative Student Research Grant from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis.

• Diego A. Ávila Rozo, M.S.
  
  

  

• Diego started at UF as a PhD student in 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz in Bogotá, Colombia. During his undergraduate studies as a research practitioner, he conducted research about resistance to change and verbal behavior led by his supervisor, Dr. Diana Delgado. Then, he earned his Master’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on choice and decision-making from Universidad Nacional de Colombia under the mentorship of Dr. Arturo Clavijo-Álvarez and conducted research related to delay discounting, nicotine addiction, and cue reactivity. Diego is also a board member of Asociación Colombiana de Análisis de la Conducta – ABA Colombia (Colombian Association of Behavior Analysis) and the cofounder of CIIAC – Centro de Investigación e Innovación en Análisis de la Conducta. His research interests are choice models, molar behaviorism theories, behavioral economics, and quantitative models of relapse phenomena.

• Angel M. Villalobos, M.S.
  
  

  

• Angel started at UF as a PhD student in 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an Honorable Mention from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2021 and his master’s degree in Behavioral Sciences with a focus on Behavior Analysis from the Center for Studies and Research in Behavior at the University of Guadalajara in 2024. During this time, he worked on research involving delay discounting, schedule-induced behaviors, motivating operations, and suboptimal choice with both human and non-human subjects. His current interests focus on translational research of relapse phenomena, choice, and motivation.

Former Doctoral students

• Carolyn Ritchey, PhD
• John Y. H. Bai, PhD
• Josh Bensemann, PhD (co-supervised)
• Vikki Bland, PhD (co-supervised)
• Arnja Dale, PhD (co-supervised)

Undergraduate Research Assistants, Psychology

• Anna Barnhart
• Olivia Byrne
• Izzy Castillon
• Jiawen Du
• Andrew Edwards
• Adam Iademarco
• Bella Liqing Jiang
• Sophia Melilli
• Lexi Molnar
• Meagan Perez
• Michelle Ross
• Nyla S. Ross
• Monique Santos
• Gloria Tirado
• Nicole Valero

Undergraduate Research Assistants, Computer Science

• Oliver Renwen Lu
• Han Mach
• Navjot Singh
• Ronan Virmani
• Bruce Baofeng Wang
• Anncy Kexin Zhou

Former Undergraduate Research Assistants, Psychology

• Katie Murphy
• Jialong Zhen
• Alexander Siejo
• Bella Hoins
• Jarrod Williams
• Marielle Goldschlag
• William Buckholz
• Acacia R. Hager
• Angela G. Vassallo
• Khushi Desai
• Natalie S. Work
• Siya Aparanji
• Bryson McGinley

Former Undergraduate Research Assistants, Computer Science

• Shane Downs
• Matthew Lamperski
• Susana Lugones
• Danielle Samaroo
• Ethan Zhu
• Gebril Fradj