Transform
Ellie Kazemi, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Founder and CEO, Transform. Behavioral scientist and professor of psychology.
Ellie Kazemi has spent two decades studying a single problem: how to turn training into competent, observable performance. Her research and product work sit at the intersection of behavioral skills training, simulation, and technology, built for the moment when a professional has to do more than know the right answer. They have to say it, in the room, under pressure.
She leads Transform’s product strategy and science, having previously run science and standards for a national ABA accreditation body and co-led a NASA-funded research center. She is a Professor of Psychology at CSUN and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral.
Introduction
Meet Ellie Kazemi
Approach
How Ellie evaluates and builds skill
Ellie evaluates performance the same way across every engagement, by measuring what a clinician, supervisor, or team member can actually do in a live, high-stakes conversation, not what they know on paper. She built the accreditation standards used to evaluate ABA organizations nationally, led the outcomes-measurement work behind a national autism outcomes registry, and designed the behavioral skills training research that underlies Transform’s simulation platform.
Leadership
Executive and scientific roles
01
Co-Founder & CEO
Transform, 2024 to present
Leads corporate strategy, product innovation, client development, partnerships, and financial sustainability. Oversees resource allocation, business planning, product investment, and the translation of behavioral science into scalable performance technology.
02
Director, AI & VXR Initiatives
College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, CSUN, 2024 to present
Leads college-wide initiatives advancing the responsible use of AI, immersive technologies, and simulation across education, research, and workforce development. Works across disciplines to translate emerging technologies into practical applications, build faculty capacity, and develop scalable approaches to innovation.
03
Chief Science & Product Officer
Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE), 2020 to 2023
Held executive responsibility for science, product development, budgets and ROI, workforce training, and multidisciplinary teams. Built three accreditation systems and led the translation of standards and outcomes measurement into scalable evaluation systems.
04
Scientific & Technology Advisor
Multiple technology companies
Serves as a lead advisor to technology companies on behavioral science, AI-enabled products, workforce performance, measurement, simulation, and the translation of research into scalable technology solutions.
05
Co-Principal Investigator
NASA Autonomy Research Center for STEAM, 2019 to 2022
Co-PI on a $3 million NASA-funded multidisciplinary research center studying autonomy and emerging technologies across behavioral science, engineering, and computer science.
06
Consultant & Co-PI
FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety Initiatives, 2017 to 2023
Brought behavioral science and measurement expertise to large-scale FEMA-funded prevention initiatives, evaluating workforce training and intervention outcomes.
07
Founder & Program Director
M.S. Program in Applied Behavior Analysis, CSUN, 2008-2016
Founded and led a financially self-supporting graduate program, with responsibility for program strategy, faculty hiring, workforce planning, budget stewardship, resource allocation, and cohorts of 30+ emerging professionals.
Academic standing
Academic and professional credentials
Professor of Psychology
California State University, Northridge, 2006 to present
Director of AI/VR/XR
CSUN College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2024 to present
Ph.D., Psychological Studies in Education
UCLA
Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Doctoral
BCBA-D, 2007 to present
Recognition
Selected recognition
Speaking
Selected speaking engagements
Ellie speaks regularly at national and regional behavior analysis conferences on supervision, simulation, and the use of AI and technology in training.
Scholarship
Selected publications
Ellie’s research examines how practice, direct observation, feedback, and simulation improve training effectiveness and make high-quality learning scalable. The full CV lists nine peer-reviewed works and books; the ones below are most directly relevant to a simulation-based skills assessment.
Kazemi, E., Herrera, B., Davies, M. S., Ptah, A., McCoy, E., & Ramirez, V. Simulation-based assessment and training. In D.E. Crone-Todd, D.A. Hantula, & T.V.J Layng (Eds.). Digital Technologies in Behavior Science (pp. 94-105). Routledge.
Danquah-Brobby, P., Kazemi, E., Twyman, J. S., & Layng, T. V. J.. Technology and equity in behavior analysis: Does the arc bend toward progress? In APA Handbook of Behavior Analysis.
Tyggestad, H., Eldevik, S., Kazemi, E., Kingsdorf, S., & Eikeseth, S. Enhancing supervisors’ feedback skills during paired stimulus preference assessment. Behavioral Interventions, 40(4), 1-12.
Kazemi, E., Adzhyan, P., & Rice, B. Fieldwork and Supervision for Behavior Analysts: A Handbook. Springer Publishing Company.
Chang, A. A., Kazemi, E., Esmaeili, V., & Davies, M. S. The effectiveness of virtual reality training: A systematic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 44(3), 214-232.
Lotfizadeh, A. D., McCoy, E., & Kazemi, E. Robots as behavior change agents: Can robots teach behavior technicians to implement differential reinforcement? Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 24(3), 150-162.