Nicola Cellini

I am a Senior Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Padova, Italy, and a consultant for the University of California Riverside, USA. I attended the University of Bologna, Italy, where I received a BS in Behavioral Science and a MS in Applied Cognitive Science. Then, I moved to the University of Padova, where I obtained a PhD in Psychological Sciences studying the the effects of sleep on autonomic regulation, cardiovascular activity, and cognitive processing. My thesis work has been recently awarded by the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine with the Igino Fagioli Award for the Best Doctoral Thesis in Basic Sleep Research.

My main research interest is to understand how the human brain processes, and remembers information during wake and sleep. Using electrophysiological and behavioral techniques, I explore the relationships between cortical and autonomic changes during wake and sleep, and their impact on cognitive functions in clinical and non-clinical populations. Findings of my studies have been presented at several international conferences and published in high-quality peer-reviewed journal.

My long-term aim is to translate these basic research findings into potential tools for improving memory, emotional regulation, well-being, and quality of life in healthy and clinical populations.

May 2016