Supervisor: Einar T. Ingvarsson, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA

Director of Clinical Training and Operations

Telephone: 434-923-8252

Email: eingvarsson@viacenters.org

Website: www.viacenters.org

Fellowship term: One year beginning on or shortly after August 2, 2026

Overview and Training Philosophy

The Postdoctoral Fellowship offers a rare opportunity to develop deep expertise in the assessment and treatment of severe and complex challenging behavior while helping to launch an innovative Intensive Neurobehavioral Classroom. Fellows are immersed in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary environment where applied behavior analysis, nursing, and special education intersect to deliver comprehensive, compassionate, and evidence-based care.

Training emphasizes contemporary ABA approaches to the functional assessment and treatment of problem behavior, including hands-on experience conducting functional analyses in dedicated observation and analysis rooms. Fellows work within a 2:1 staff-to-student model, gaining direct experience supervising and coaching Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), ensuring treatment fidelity, and using performance management systems to support high-quality implementation. Exposure to specialized safety procedures—including the use of protective equipment when clinically indicated—prepares fellows to work competently and ethically with individuals who present significant behavioral risk.

In addition to advanced assessment and intervention design, fellows receive structured training in developing adaptive skill repertoires, therapeutic consultation with families and interdisciplinary teams, staff training, and systems-level strategies that promote and sustain clinical standards of care. The experience combines intensive clinical work with leadership development, equipping fellows to manage complex cases while contributing to program development and innovation.

Fellows are primarily based in VIA’s Charlottesville programs, with periodic opportunities to collaborate with teams in Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Lexington—broadening their exposure to diverse service settings and regional systems of care.

Fellowship Duties

Trainees will work full-time with the fellowship supervisor on developing and implementing procedures and systems for the functional assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in a specialized Intensive Neurobehavioral Classroom at the new James C. Hormel VIA school.

Research will be conducted solely within the context of service delivery and will be approved only if it strengthens the evidence base for clinical practices that align with VIA’s vision and mission.

Research projects must be approved and supervised by the fellowship supervisor, as well as the relevant Program Director within VIA. Further, all research projects must be formally approved by the University of Virginia’s Institutional Review Board.

Supervision and Training Activities

Each postdoctoral fellow will work with the fellowship supervisor to develop an individualized training plan, based on the trainee’s goals and clinical needs in the area of challenging behavior. Because the trainee will work with the fellowship supervisor on the development and implementation of functional assessment and function-based treatment, the training plan will also be aligned with clinical service needs.

Training activities may include conducting assessments with clients, implementing direct clinical services, training, supervision and mentoring of staff, parent training, creating and implementing intervention procedures, managing data collection systems, and working with training and clinical leadership to create and implement systems to improve performance and standards of care. Trainees are expected to complete a minimum of 2000 hours of fellowship training. Trainees will receive at least 2 hours of supervision per week, on average. Postdoctoral fellows will have funding to attend at least one national and one local conference per year.

School Services

The VIA school is licensed to serve students between the ages of 2 and 22 who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other neurodevelopmental disorders. We partner with local school districts across central Virginia to serve students whose needs for learning, communication, behavior, or social interaction are too intensive for a public school setting.

The school provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art education, and clinical programs designed to address those needs. Our services are based on the principles of applied behavior analysis, and employ specialists in the fields of behavior analysis, special education, speech-language therapy, and occupational and physical therapy. VIA emphasizes evidence-based practices, compassionate care, and maintaining the dignity of clients and students.

• Official transcripts from your graduate program(s)
• If your transcripts do not reflect that your degree has been awarded, you can submit a verification letter stating that you have completed all requirements for your PhD (to be completed by your dissertation chair or the director of your training program)
• Authorized to work in the United States