Samson Nivins

Samson Nivins is a postdoctoral fellow at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and a developmental neuroscientist working within the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm. His research investigates how early-life exposures shape brain structure, cognition, and behaviour from infancy through childhood, using advanced neuroimaging and clinical research methods.

He completed his PhD in Medicine (Perinatal) at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, under Distinguished Professor Dame Jane E. Harding, where his doctoral research used MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine long-term brain development in children with a history of neonatal hypoglycaemia. Prior to this, he completed a master's thesis at Karolinska Institutet under Professor Agneta Nordberg, investigating 18F-FDG PET imaging to differentiate mild cognitive impairment from Alzheimer's disease. Before his academic research career, he trained in radiology and nuclear medicine in India and contributed to the development of a paediatric brain PET database.

Honours and awards

Winner, Oral Presentation, KI Postdoc Symposium (2025); Student Leadership Award, University of Auckland (2022); Public Choice Award, Research Showcase Poster Presentation, University of Auckland (2021); Winner, Three-Minute Elevator Pitch, Trans-Tasman Fetal and Neonatal Conference (2020)

Academic leadership

Steering-group member, AutNetKI, KIND, Karolinska Institutet; Vice-Chair for Career Development, Karolinska Institutet Postdoctoral Association (Jan 2025–present); Treasurer, Karolinska Institutet Postdoctoral Association (Jan–Dec 2024); Liggins Student Representative, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland (2020–2022)

Research expertise and methods

Imaging
Brain MRI (neonatal, paediatric, adult) · Spine, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal MRI · PET neuroimaging · Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) · Quantitative neuroimaging analysis

Statistical methods
Latent class analysis · Principal component analysis · Mixed-effects modelling · Cluster analysis

My research is guided by the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm, and spans three interconnected areas of early-life risk and long-term neurodevelopmental and cognitive outcomes.

1. Cognitive and ADHD outcomes in extremely preterm children

I investigate the long-term cognitive and ADHD outcomes of children born extremely preterm, with a focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms, developmental trajectories, and outcome profiles that shape risk and resilience over time. Using longitudinal cohort data, neuroimaging, and advanced statistical modelling (including latent class and trajectory analyses), this work aims to identify which children are most vulnerable to long-term cognitive and attentional difficulties, and what factors support better outcomes despite early adversity.

2. Cardiometabolic risk factors in mothers and offspring outcomes

This research examines how maternal cardiometabolic health during pregnancy influences neurodevelopmental and health outcomes in offspring. By linking maternal risk factors to child outcomes across development, this work contributes to a broader understanding of how the intrauterine environment shapes long-term brain and metabolic health.

3. Screen time use in children and adolescents

I study the impact of digital media and screen time on brain development, cognition, and behaviour in children and adolescents, including associations with ADHD risk. This work has attracted significant public and policy attention, contributing to international media coverage and engagement with EU digital policy discussions.

If you're interested in working together or collaborating on any of these research areas, feel free to reach out at samson.nivins@ki.se or samson.nivins@gmail.com

Achievements

• Interviewed by Elie Dolgin, science journalist at Nature/Science, to discuss social media use and risk for ADHD for Nature's annual journal release, 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00096-9
• Interviewed by Jessica Romeo, senior editor at Scholastic (Science World magazine, U.S.), to discuss screen use among children ("brain rot"), a widely discussed topic
• Interviewed by Taehee Kim, journalist at Science Dong-A, South Korea, regarding "brain rot": https://brainrot.dongascience.com/
• Plenary speaker, American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD), San Diego, California, January 15–19, 2025. Title: "The cost of constant connection: how social media shapes young minds"
• Interviewed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Ellison about the negative effects of digital media use in children with ADHD, San Diego, January 19, 2025
• Participated in a roundtable discussion on the impact of online platforms on minors, organised by the European Commission in Brussels, September 24, 2024, contributing to Digital Services Act (DSA) policymaking: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC141090
• My article on the long-term impact of digital media on brain development in children ranked in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric, with over 15, 000 accesses within six months

Professional memberships and activities

• Member, Newborn Brain Society
• Editor, Pediatrics and Neurology for BMC Medicine (FlagShip)
• Guest reviewer for Pediatrics (AAP), BMC Medicine, Brain, Behaviour and Immunity, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Journal of Neuroradiology, Imaging Neuroscience, Acta Psychologica, Pediatric Research, SciReports, NeuroImage, Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, Brain and Behaviour, Journal of Neuroscience Research, BMC Neurology, Frontiers in Neurology/Pediatrics/Psychiatry, and MDPI (50+ peer-reviewed articles reviewed)

EU collaboration

https://improve-preterm.eu/who-we-are/karolinska-institute/

International collaborators

• Prof Catherine Lebel, University of Calgary, Canada — https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/catherine-lebel
• Prof Peter Anderson, University of California, U.S.A. / MCRI, Australia — https://medschool.uci.edu/about/faculty/andersp3 ; https://www.mcri.edu.au/researcher-details/peter-anderson
• Prof Terrie Inder, University of California — https://choc.org/medical-staff/neonatology/terrie-inder-md/
• Prof Samantha Johnson, University of Leicester — https://le.ac.uk/people/samantha-johnson
• Prof Jennifer Zeitlin, INSERM — https://cress-umr1153.fr/en/teams/oppale-en/member-jennifer-zeitlin-138
• Assoc Prof Emma Duerden, University of British Columbia, Canada — https://www.edu.uwo.ca/about/faculty-profiles/emma-duerden/index.html

Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-catherine-lebel-dr-sam-nivins-disruptors-of-fetal/id1463016517?i=1000749043601

K6F5255 (PhD Course): Early Child Development: Extended Interactions Between Neural Networks, Body and Environment Topic: MRI and Predictability

Screen-Time use among children in schools 

Supervision:

2022 - 2023
Supervised three students from Rays Academy for Young Scientists in their
project:
Ms. Maya Hagbok
Ms. Aomi Thuren Yoshida
Ms. Humaira Afrin, Winner of Utställning-Unga forskare

(2023 - 2024)
Ms. Emily Gilbert, an Erasmus student from Germany (Constructor University)
Ms. Ami Nakamura, Medical Intern, Japan

(2025 - Present)

Ms. Rima Shoukr, Third-year medical student, Riga Stradina University, Latvia

Ms. Anna Bonadeo, Fourth-year medical student (Main-Supervisor), Humanitas University/Politecnico di Milano, Milan

(2026 - Present)

Ms. Sneha Agarwal, Master's thesis (Main-Supervisor), Master's student, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Ms. Prarthana Duraisamy, First-year (Main-Supervisor), Master's student, KTH, Sweden

Dr Lovisa Ekestubbe MD (Co-supervisor), Region Stockholm, Karolinska University Hospital