Nicolas Savino - Personal Site

About Me

Fordham University: Class of 2026, BS in Psychology/Computer Science.

Felicitations malefactors. I'm someone who is captivated by the beauty of the ordinary and extraordinary. I often like to spend my time accomplishing goals and finding meaning in my life. Whether it be doing research, writing, programming, or taking a stroll in nature, I aim to make the most out of the time I have on this earth.

Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Chess, Piano, Working Out, and Spending My Free Time watching the sun fall from the sky.

As we speak, I'm actively applying for graduate programs, writing a book, and working on a startup with my Co-Founder (news about it soon!)

Skills

Languages

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English (Native)
Italian (Limited-Working Proficiency)
Latin (Read/Translate)
Japanese (Beginner)
Pig Latin (Native)

Technical Skills

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Front-End

React
React Native
HTML
CSS
JavaScript

Back-End

Java
Python
FastAPI

AI & APIs

OpenAI GPT API
Gemini API
Claude API
Stripe API

Design

Figma
Canva
CapCut
Adobe Premiere Pro

Research & Analytics

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Data Analysis

R
Python
SPSS (everyone's favorite lol)
Rust
SQL
Excel (Certified)
MATLAB

Research Tools

Qualtrics
SPSS (everyone's favorite lol)
MATLAB

Business Analytics

Salesforce
Excel
PowerPoint

Start-Up Ventures $

Over Coffee AI

An AI-driven mental reflection tool aimed at helping one find their purpose in life. Amassed over 100+ users within 48 hours of launch.

Visit Site

Solar

Coming Soon

Your digitalized rolodex. Leverage your network without all the clutter. Stay tuned.

ParallelAI

In Development

A dating app with no swiping or scrolling. The AI learns about you and delivers daily curated matches with short chemistry blurbs, then you jump straight into conversation.

SLL

Coming Soon

An upcoming e-book. Information will be revealed at a later date!

Research

My Research Interests

Isolation, Solitude, Loneliness, Anxiety, OCD, and Neurobiological Factors of Psychopathology

My Current Research

Disgust, Politicization of Mental Health Practices, Antisemitism, and Pseudoscience

COAP Lab (Compulsive, Obsessive, Anxiety Program) - Lab Assistant

Fordham University | February 2025-Present

Director: Dr. Dean McKay, PhD

Responsibilities:

Assist in experimental design, data collection, and analysis of the politicization of mental health/medical health professions (specifically the alarming occurrence of antisemitism)
Utilize software for data processing and statistical analysis (e.g., MATLAB, R, SPSS)
Collaborate with faculty and graduate researchers on projects related to antisemitism, pseudo-scientific methods, and disgust
Contribute to academic presentations, literature reviews, and manuscript preparation

COAP Lab Projects

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Project 1: Anxiety Disorder Book

2025-Present | Mentored Under: Dr. Dean McKay, PhD

Fordham University

Responsibilities:

Conducting a comprehensive literature synthesis of contemporary psychopathology research (2002-present) to inform a forthcoming scholarly textbook poised to become a new standard in the field
Structuring empirical findings thematically to build nuanced arguments, integrating both dominant perspectives and critical counterpoints across multiple chapters
Collaborating directly with senior authors, gaining in-depth exposure to the academic editorial process, publishing standards, and advanced clinical theory
Responsible for the following chapters: Features of anxiety (2) and Central neurobiology of anxiety (7)

Project 2: Politics in Mental Health Professions

2025-Present | Mentored by: Dr. Dean McKay, PhD, and Katie Muschalik

Fordham University

Responsibilities:

Created and deployed a survey surrounding the politicization of mental health, particularly focusing on the ongoing rhetoric surrounding the prevalence of political polarization and antisemitism in the field
Collected responses from trusted clinicians and social workers, and used R to create a data analysis to systematically organize responses
Survey responses indicated strong levels of ongoing antisemitism and political disputes in the mental health field

Project 3: Analysis of State-Level Continuing Education for Psychologists

2025-Present | Mentored Under: Dr. Dean McKay, PhD

In Collaboration with: Aerin Ellard (2026) | Fordham University

Responsibilities:

Investigating state-approved, non-APA continuing education (CE) providers to assess the scientific validity of their training materials for licensed psychologists
Analyzing course offerings on therapeutic interventions and comparing them against established, evidence-based psychological treatments
Contributing to a policy-oriented project aimed at ensuring public protection and upholding scientific standards in professional mental health training
Currently focusing on densely-populated states such as NY, NJ, CA, AZ, and TX
Conducting a comparative analysis of faculty workload policies: teaching courses, course reduction mechanisms, and minimum graduate course enrollment across all 49 PCSAS-accredited clinical science programs

Publications

McKay, D., Arrindell, A. S. C. T., Lustig, S. M. C., & Savino, N. F. (2025). Pathways to Trypophobia: The Role of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms, Anxiety, and Disgust in Disease Avoidance Following Skin Infection. Poster in preparation.

Licenses and Certifications

Harvard CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python | Harvard Online (Issued Jun 2025)
Modifying Data Frames in R | CodeAcademy (Issued Jun 2025)
R Programming Fundamentals (Swirl Course) | SWIRL (Issued Jun 2025)
Learn Python 3 | CodeAcademy (Issued Jun 2024)
Conflicts of Interest | CITI Program (Issued Feb 2025)
Undergraduate Students (Social & Behavioral Research) | CITI Program (Issued Feb 2025)
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) (Issued June 2025)

Previous Research Experience

Bronx Personality Lab (B-PER) - Research Assistant

2024-2025 | Director: Dr. Christopher Conway, PhD

Fordham University

Responsibilities:

Executed a bibliometric analysis of the McLean Study of Adult Development (MSAD) and the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS), two seminal longitudinal studies on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Analyzed citation trends and keyword frequencies to map the conceptual evolution of BPD diagnostics, symptomatology, and treatment approaches in scholarly literature
Worked directly on papers expanding the literature surrounding Borderline Personality Disorder with graduate assistants
Developed statistical models in conjunction of the word associations affiliated with BPD, as well as other personality disorders

Current Independent Research

AI Image Detection Study - Can People Accurately Distinguish AI-Generated Images from Real Photographs?

November 2025-Present | Principal Investigator

Fordham University | Bronx, NY

Study Overview:

This study investigates whether participants can distinguish between AI-generated and real photographs at rates better than chance (50%), and explores individual and content differences in detection ability using signal detection theory.

Methodology & Analysis:

Utilizing Signal Detection Theory (SDT) to analyze sensitivity (d') and response bias (c) in image classification tasks
Developed complete R analysis pipeline including mixed-effects logistic regression and participant-level linear models
Deployed Qualtrics-based methodology with 24 trials per participant (12 AI-generated, 12 real photographs) across five image categories
Examining individual differences in detection ability based on major, AI familiarity, confidence levels, and image category
Comprehensive data analysis including trial-level accuracy, confidence ratings, realism assessments, and credibility judgments
Testing primary hypothesis: participants' accuracy is higher than chance (> 50%) using one-sample t-test
Secondary analyses investigating sensitivity metrics (d' > 0) and response bias patterns toward classifying images as "real"

Previous Independent Studies

Study 1: Omission Neglect

January-April 2025 | Principal Investigator

Bronx, NY

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Information:

Spearheaded an independent experimental study examining omission neglect, a cognitive bias where missing information distorts ethical decision-making
Engineered and deployed a Qualtrics-based methodology to test hypotheses, analyzing all data with independent-sample t-tests and effect-size calculations in IBM SPSS
Revealed meaningful psychological patterns, discovering large effect sizes that suggest omission neglect contributes to overconfidence in ambiguous situations

Study 2: Clinical Analysis of Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

January-April 2025 | Principal Investigator

Bronx, NY

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Information:

Conducted a literature synthesis of peer-reviewed studies to analyze the distinct presentation of pediatric OCD compared to adult-onset OCD
Evaluated key differences across symptoms, common comorbidities, and the efficacy of evidence-based treatments (CBT, SSRIs)
Investigated the influence of family dynamics, cultural context, and socioeconomic factors on diagnosis and treatment outcomes
Identified early diagnosis and parent-focused therapy as critical factors for improving long-term outcomes in youth mental health

Socials

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