Expertise
Current Psychology Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) student interested in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) research.
Research Interests
Autism research, broadly, especially in social communication and sex education and sexuality for adolescents and adults. Applied Behavior Analysis research, especially with non-clinical aspects of behavior analysis.Education
- Master of Science (M.S.), Mary Baldwin University
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Mary Baldwin University
Biosketch
Jacob is a current PhD student in Psychology at UMass Lowell interested in autism and applied behavior analysis research. During his undergraduate and graduate studies he worked as a behavior technician. He currently is involved with several different lines of research wJacob is a current PhD student in Psychology at UMass Lowell interested in autism and applied behavior analysis research. During his undergraduate and graduate studies he worked as a behavior technician. He currently is involved with several different lines of research with professors in the Greater Boston area, including those at UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, and UMass Chan.
Selected Awards and Honors
- 2022 College of Education Outstanding Undergraduate Student from Mary Baldwin University
Selected Publications
- "Schena II, D., Rosado, V., Geary, B., Desruisseaux, J., and Hillier, A. (2023). A systematic review examining employment skill outcomes and maintenance among autistic adults. (Manuscript in preparation)
- Hillier, A., Veneziano, J., Desruisseaux, J., Wood, A., Buckingham, A., Syed, A. and Patel, A. (2025). A mixed methods analysis of autistic college students’ experiences. Journal of American College Health.
- Schena II, D., Galizzi, M., Hillier, A., and Desruisseaux, J. (2025). Financial literacy skills instruction among autistic individuals: a systematic review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Hillier, A., Lopez, J., Veneziano, J., and Desruisseaux, J. (2023). Online Group College Preparation Mentoring Program for Neurodiverse High School Students. (Manuscript in preparation).
- Hillier, A., Veneziano, J., Buckingham, A., Eng, A., and Desruisseaux, J. (2023) Online Group Mentoring Program for Neurodiverse University Students. (Manuscript in preparation).
- Desruisseaux, J., Maroney, M. R., Shinnick, R., and Sliz, K. (2025) “Unique to neurodiverse relationships”: Understanding strengths, challenges, and resources of neurodiverse couples. (Manuscript in preparation)."
Selected Presentations
- "Maroney, M. R., Shinnick, R., Coombs, E. C., Eggers, T., Sliz, K., Jamin-Lynn, L., Hegarty, D. and Desruisseaux, J. (2025, May). Autigender, Neuroqueer: A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Use Intersectional Labels to Describe Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Among Autistic Adults. Poster presentation conducted at the International Society of Autism Research (INSAR), Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington.
- Sliz, K., Shinnick, R., Myhill, G., Desruisseaux, J., and Maroney, M. (2025, June). ""Knowledge is empowering, at least I now know what I am up against"": Exploring resource use among neurodiverse couples. [Poster presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association, St. John's, Newfoundland.
- Desruisseaux, J., Shinnick, R., Sliz, K., Myhill, G., and Maroney, M. R. (2025, August). “Unique to neurodiverse relationships”: Exploring challenges, strengths, and resources in ND couples. In M. Maroney (Chair), Centering community voices in autism research: Participatory approaches to intervention development and evaluation. Symposium conducted at the American Psychological Association (APA) 2025 Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado."
Research Currently in Progress
Jacob is currently leading a project about safe spaces and communities with autistic Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ (LGBTQ+) individuals. Additionally, he is involved with the Horizons and Horizons Plus programs and data analysis and write-up from those programs. He’s also first author on a currently submitted paper about experiences of neurodiverse couples.