Dr. Rafaela Fontes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Mississippi.
Research Interests
Dr. Fontes' research examines how aversive consequences (i.e., punishment) influence choice and decision-making, with a particular focus on individuals with current or past substance use. Specifically, her work has focused on understanding how individuals trade off different consequences when choosing between options. Using experimental methods and quantitative models of choice, she investigates the behavioral mechanisms underlying decision-making to better understand substance use and inform the development of more effective behavioral interventions.
Biography
Dr. Fontes joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Mississippi in Fall 2026. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Brasília in 2018 and a second Ph.D. in Psychology, with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis, from Utah State University in 2022. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Addiction Recovery Research Center at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion in 2024 and subsequently joined the institute as a Research Scientist, where she remained until joining the University of Mississippi.
Dr. Fontes has published research in leading journals in behavior analysis and addiction science. Her work has been recognized with several awards, including a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Award and the APA Division 25 SEAB Dissertation Award for Basic Research.
Education
Ph.D. Psychology, Utah State University (2022)
Ph.D. Behavioral Sciences, Universidade de Brasília (UnB) (2018)
Master's Behavioral Sciences, Universidade de Brasília (UnB) (2015)
Recognitions
- Division 25 SEAB Dissertation Award in Basic Research, American Psychological Association, 2023
- Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Award, Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program, 2016