Dr Athanasios (Thanos) Vostanis

Dr Thanos Vostanis is a Lecturer at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent, specialising in intellectual and developmental disabilities. He has extensive experience across both mainstream and special education and is a qualified teacher (QTS), a Certified Behaviour Analyst (IBA; UKBA(cert); BCBA-D). He has also undertaken advanced training in the CABAS® model and the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction. 

Dr Vostanis is the founder of the Precision Teaching Research Lab and serves as Vice President for International Relations for the Standard Celeration Society, the official international organisation for practitioners and researchers of Precision Teaching. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Tizard Learning Disability Review, an international journal focusing on research and practice in intellectual and other developmental disabilities. 

His research focuses on advancing the science and application of Precision Teaching, a data-driven system for planning and monitoring instruction to optimise learning outcomes. He leads and collaborates on applied research projects evaluating Precision Teaching across educational and professional contexts, supervises postgraduate and doctoral research, and regularly presents his work at international conferences. Through his research, training, and leadership roles, he aims to expand the application of Precision Teaching across both traditional and emerging domains.  

• Evaluating the application of Precision Teaching to non-academic skills, (e.g., social, language, and motor repertoires).
• Investigating the behavioural principles underlying learning and performance, including celeration, behavioural fluency, and behavioural agility.
• Integrating Precision Teaching with evidence-based instructional strategies to improve the acquisition and retention of academic skills in mainstream and special education.
• Evaluating the use of Precision Teaching in staff training and professional development to improve performance and procedural fidelity.  

• TZRD9000/TZRD9001: Theory and Philosophy of Behaviour Analysis / Distance Learning
  
• TZRD9010/TZRD9011: Organisational Behavioural Management and Systems-Wide Approaches / Distance Learning
  
• TZRD9020/TZRD9021: Developing and implementing interventions / Distance Learning
  
• TZRD9030/TZRD9031: Behavioural Assessment / Distance Learning
  
• TZRD9040/TZRD9041: Advanced Issues in Values, Ethics and Professional Practice / Distance Learning
  
• TZRD9050/TZRD9051: Concepts and Principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis / Distance Learning
  
• TZRD9070/TZRD9071: Research Methods in Applied Behaviour / Distance Learning
  

Current PhD Students

• Tracy Mapp (GTA scholarship, 2023-)
• Farai Syposz (SEDArc Scholarship, 2024-)
• Clarissa Feuerer (Self-Funded 2025-)

Past PhD Students

• Dr Anoud Al Saud (2021-2025)

Grants/Awards

• Sanders, C. (PI), Roots, A. (Co-I), Hoot, T. (Co-I), Vostanis, A. (Collaborator). (2024–2025). Nurse bridging education: Optimization, innovation, and sustainability across the nursing continuum [Grant]. Interior University Research Coalition (IURC) Ministry of Health. Award: $45,000
• Vostanis, A. (PI) & Bradshaw, J. (Co-I). (2023–2024). Using Precision Teaching to train keyword sign language skills to professionals working in learning disability services (Project no. SRG23\230886) [Grant]. The British Academy / Leverhulme. Award: £9,995.11