Nicolo Pini, PhD

Nicolò Pini, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a member of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Developmental Sciences. His research bridges biomedical engineering and developmental neuroscience to investigate how physiology and brain function develop from fetal life through infancy and childhood, with a particular emphasis on sleep.

Dr. Pini received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and completed his postdoctoral training at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His expertise includes advanced signal processing, machine learning, and the integration of physiological measurements to characterize early development. A central focus of his work is developing and validating noninvasive methods, including wearable technologies, to study sleep, activity, and autonomic regulation in everyday settings.

His research spans fetal and infant development, autism, and rare genetic conditions associated with neurodevelopmental differences. Working with interdisciplinary research teams, family foundations, and advocacy organizations, he seeks to make physiological monitoring more accessible and informative across laboratory, clinical, and home environments. His long-term goal is to translate early-life physiological measurements into tools that improve understanding of developmental trajectories and support earlier identification and intervention.