How Research Works: Instructor Bio

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Dr. Christy Alligood-Rice

Dr. Christy Alligood-Rice is a sought-after teacher, speaker, and thought leader whose experience spans the science and practice of behavior analysis.

Dr. Alligood-Rice received an MA (2003) from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Ph.D. (2007) from West Virginia University. She is also a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D).

For over 10 years, Dr. Alligood-Rice has been a behavior scientist at Disney’s Animals, Science, and Environment. In that capacity, she uses her expertise in the application of behavior analysis to enhance the welfare of nonhuman animals through cooperative training, environmental enrichment, behavioral problem solving, and behavior change strategies supporting the conservation of wildlife and wild places.

Dr. Alligood-Rice is a faculty member in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. She previously held faculty positions at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and the University of Florida, where she was a nominee for the 2021 UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Teacher of the Year Award. She has served in many leadership roles in the Association for Behavior Analysis International, including president of the Applied Animal Behavior Special Interest Group, Coordinator of the Special Interest Groups Board, and At-large Representative to the Executive Council. She is also a past president and secretary of the Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis. She is an instructor for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Environmental Enrichment in Zoo & Aquariums course and general member of the AZA Behavior Advisory Group serving on the Culture Change working group.

From the Instructor

Throughout my career, I have enjoyed sharing the principles of behavior analysis with animal professionals who are dedicated to applying the best available science to their work in caring for animals. After getting a taste of this natural science and its applications, students have often asked, “What’s next?” In BehaviorWorks’ LLA course, Susan tells students to stick with textbooks until they develop the skills to understand how behavioral research applies to their work. I am thrilled to finally offer a course for animal professionals who would like to take this next step. There are many common misconceptions about research methods and statistics that prevent professionals from getting the full benefit of the most current advances in behavior science. Building on the foundation of universal principles and procedures learned in LLA, “How Research Works” focuses on strengthening your skills as discerning consumers of science information. We’ll lift the veil on the process of conducting and publishing research, shine a light on why and how ultra-powerful “studies of one” are designed and evaluated, and break through myths and misconceptions to help you understand research like never before.