Dr. Meghan Deshais
Assistant Professor at the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies and Applied Psychology, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
Email: md1599@rutgers.edu
- Bio
- Grants
- Education
- Recent Awards
- Other Information
Bio
Meghan A. Deshais, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She earned her doctorate in the experimental analysis of behavior from University of Florida in 2018. Prior to joining the faculty at Rutgers, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell University.
Grants
2024 – Rutgers Center for Alcohol and Substance Use Studies (CAS) Pilot Project Grant
2023 – Rutgers Research Council Collaborative Multi-Disciplinary Grant
2022 – Rutgers Collective Autism Grant
Education
| 2018 | PhD Psychology | University of Florida |
| 2021 | M.Ed Education | University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| 2005 | BA Communication Sciences | University of Vermont |
Recent Awards
2020 – Graduate Faculty Mentor Award, Caldwell University
2019 – Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee, Caldwell University
2017 – Chris C. Rubow Memorial Graduate Research Award, UF Department of Psychology
Other Information
Research Interests
Research interests include contingency management, the application of behavior analysis to novel areas, and establishing imitation in young autistic children.
Research Lab Info
The mission of the Deshais Lab is to develop the next generation of behavior scientists and leaders in field of applied behavior analysis. The core values of the Deshais Lab are collaboration, compassion, integrity, and joy.
Collaboration
We believe that collaboration makes us all better and is vitally important to producing impactful scientific research. We actively seek to work with individuals with varying cultural identities, inside and outside the discipline of behavior analysis, to learn from their expertise and lived experience. We believe that open, respectful communication promotes a healthy, supportive learning environment.
Compassion
We strive to be compassionate toward one another, remaining cognizant that everyone has different learning histories and variables operating on their behavior. We strive to be compassionate toward ourselves. We approach our work with humility and appreciate the learning opportunities that arise from both mistakes and successes.
Integrity
We prioritize integrity at every step of the research process from designing a study to analyzing data. We believe that ethical decision-making and real-world impact are more valuable than scholarly output.
Joy
We find joy in learning, contributing to the scientific understanding of behavior, and doing our part to save the world with behavior science (Skinner, 1982).