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My research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber-physical systems, and data analytics. I am focusing on designing the next generation of human-centric intelligent wearable devices and Artificial Intelligence of Things platforms to improve our lives by sensing the physical world in its many forms. [Google Scholar][LinkdedIn]

I am a recipient of the 2023 Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD Fellowship, 2023 EECS Rising Stars, 2025 CPS Rising Stars, and the Columbia University Morton B. Friedman Memorial Prize for Excellence. I have served on technical and organizing committees of leading conferences and workshops in the field and am the associate editor for ACM HEALTH and Elsevier Smart Health journals.

Education

Columbia University, New York, NY

Ph.D. Electrical Engineering | Sept 2019-May 2025

M.S. Electrical Engineering | Sept 2017-Feb 2019

Smith College, Northampton, MA

B.S. Engineering Science | Sept 2013-May 2017

Honors and Awards

Columbia University Morton B. Friedman Memorial Prize for Excellence | 2025

CPS Rising Stars | 2025

ACM MobiSys Best Paper Award | 2024

ACM MobiSys People’s Choice Demo Award | 2024

EECS Rising Stars | 2023

Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD Fellowship | 2023

Columbia University Jacob Millman Award | 2023

ACM SenSys Best Demo Award Runner-up | 2022

IEEE ITEC Best Paper Award | 2021

ACM/IEEE IPSN Best Demo Award | 2020

Columbia Electrical Engineering M.S. Honors Student | 2018

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Smith College | 2017

Sigma Xi Honor Society, Smith College | 2017

Dean’s List, All Semesters at Smith College | 2013-2017

Tau Beta Kappa Honor Society, Smith College | 2016

Selected Publications

Y. Wang, W. Xia, H. Yao, and J. Nie, “Breathing and Semantic Pause Detection and Exertion-Level Classification in Post-Exercise Speech“, in Proceedings of the 3rd ACM International Workshop on Intelligent Acoustic Systems and Applications (IASA’25), 2025

J. Nie, Y. Fan, Z. Xuan, M. Zhao, R. Wan, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “SoundTrack: A Contactless Mobile Solution for Real-time Running Metric Estimation for Treadmill Running in the Wild” in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT’25), 2025

J. Nie, D.T. Tran, K. Thakkar, V. Kowtha, J. Huang, C. Avendano, E. Azemi, and V. Mitra, “Foundation Model Hidden Representations for Heart Rate Estimation from Auscultation” in Proceedings of Interspeech 2025, 2025

J. Nie, Y. Fan, M. Zhao, R. Wan, Z, Xuan, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “Multi-modal dataset across exertion levels: Capturing post-exercise speech, breathing, and phonocardiogram“, in Proceedings of ACM Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems (SenSys’25), 2025

J. Nie, H. Shao, Y. Fan, Q. Shao, H. You, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “LLM-based Conversational AI Therapist for Daily Functioning Screening and Psychotherapeutic Intervention via Everyday Smart Devices,” ACM Transactions on Computing for Healthcare (HEALTH), Special Issue on Large Language Models, Conversational Systems, and Generative AI in Health, 2025

J.Nie, Y. Fan, Z. Xuan, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “Poster Abstract: Real-Time Non-Contact Estimation of Running Metrics on Treadmills using Smartphones,” in Proceedings of ACM International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom’24), 2024

J.Nie, R. Liu, B. Mahasseni, E. Azemi, and V. Mitra, “Model-driven Heart Rate Estimation and Heart Murmur Detection based on Phonocardiogram,” in Proceedings of IEEE 34th International Workshop on Machine Learning for Signal Processing (MLSP’24), 2024

V. Mitra, J. Nie, and E. Azemi, “Investigating Salient Representations and Label Variance in Dimensional Speech Emotion Analysis,” in Proceedings of ICASSP 2024-2024 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP’24), 2024.

Y. Fan, J. Nie, X. Sun, and X. Jiang, “Exploring Foundation Models in Detecting Concerning Daily Functioning in Psychotherapeutic Context Based on Images from Smart Home Devices,” in Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE International Workshop on Foundation Models for Cyber-Physical Systems & Internet of Things (IEEE FMSys’24), 2024

R. Liu, E. L. Zippi, H. Pouransari, C. Sandino, J. Nie, H. Goh, E. Azemi, and A. Moin, “Frequency-aware masked autoencoders for multimodal pretraining on biosignals,” in Proceedings of ICLR Time Series for Health Workshop (TS4H’24), 2024

Q. Shao, J. Liu, E. Bejerano, H.M. Colman, J.Nie. X.Jiang, and X. Zhou, “Joey: Supporting Kangaroo Mother Care with Computational Fabrics,” in Proceedings of the 22nd Annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services (ACM MobiSys’24), 2024 [Best Paper Award]

S. Xia, M. Zhao, C. Adhivarahan, K. Hou, Y. Chen, J. Nie, E. Wu, K. Dantu, and X. Jiang, “Anemoi: A Low-cost Sensorless Indoor Drone System for Automatic Mapping of 3D Airflow Fields,” in Proceedings of the 29th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (ACM MobiCom’23), 2023

J. Nie, S. Xia, Y. Liu, S. Ding, L. Hu, M. Zhao, Y. Fan, M. Aty, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “A Data-Driven and Human-Centric EV Charging Recommendation System at City-Scale,” in Proceedings of the 14th ACM International Conference on Future Energy Systems (ACM e-Energy’23), 2023

Z. Xuan, M. Liu, J. Nie and M. Zhao, S. Xia, and X. Jiang, “CaNRun: Non-Contact, Acoustic-based Cadence Estimation on Treadmills using Smartphones,” in Proceedings of the 2nd ACM International Workshop on Intelligent Acoustic Systems and Applications (IASA’23), 2023

M.Zhao, S. Xia, K. Hou, J. Nie, A. Dhupar, and X. Jiang, “LegoSENSE: An Open and Modular Sensing Platform for Rapidly-Deployable IoT Applications,” in Proceedings of the 8th ACM/IEEE Conference on Internet of Things Design and Implementation (IoTDI’ 23), 2023

J. Nie, L. Zhou, M. F. Kaye, C. C. Silveira, A. Nwokolo, X. Jiang, and M. Preindl, “High-Performance Optimal Power Flow Estimation for EV-Interfaced Microgrids with Standardized Grid Services,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 1199–1211, Jan. 2023

J. Nie, M. Zhao, S. Xia, X. Sun, H. Shao, Y. Fan, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “Demo Abstract: AI Therapist for Daily Functioning Assessment and Intervention Using Smart Home Devices,” in Proceedings of the 20th ACM Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems (SenSys’22), 2022 [Best Demo Runner-up]

J. Nie, L. Hu, Y. Liu, Y. Fan, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “Poster Abstract: Human-centric data-driven optimization and recommendation in EV-interfaced grid at city scale,” in Proceedings of the 9th ACM International Conference on Systems for Energy–Efficient Built Environments (BuildSys’22), 2022

J. Nie, H. Shao, M. Zhao, S. Xia, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “Conversational AI Therapist for Daily Function Screening in Home Environments,” in Proceedings of the 1st ACM International Workshop on Intelligent Acoustic Systems and Applications, 2022

Y. Liu, S. Xia, J. Nie, P. Wei, Z. Shu, J. Chang, and X. Jiang, “aiMSE: Towards an AI-based Online Mental Status Examination,” IEEE Pervasive Computing, 2022

J. Nie, Y. Liu, L.Zhou, M. Preindl, and X. Jiang, “Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Approach for Optimal Power Flow of Microgrid with Grid Services Implementation”, in Proceedings of IEEE/AIAA Transportation Electrification Conference and Electric Aircraft Technology Symposium (ITEC+EATS’22), 2022

Y. Liu, J. Nie, J. Sun, P. Wei, S. Xia, and X. Jiang, “SoFIT: Self-Orienting Camera Network for Floor Mapping and Indoor Tracking,” in Proceedings of IEEE Annual International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS’22), 2022

J. Nie, Y. Liu, Y. Hu, Y. Wang, S. Xia, M. Preindl and X. Jiang, “SPIDERS+: A light-weight, wireless, and low-cost glasses-based wearable platform for emotion sensing and bio-signal acquisition,” Elsevier-Pervasive and Mobile Computing Journal (PMC), vol. 75, pp. 101424, Aug. 2021

J. Nie, L. Zhou, M. F. Kaye, C. C. Silveira, A. Nwokolo, X. Jiang, and M. Preindl, “Optimal Power Flow Estimation of Microgrid Considering the Grid Services of EV Batteries,” in Proceedings of the 2021 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo (ITEC’21), 2021 [Best Paper Award]

S. Xia, J. Nie, and X. Jiang, “CSafe: An Intelligent Audio Wearable Platform for Improving Construction Worker Safety in Urban Environments,” in Proceedings of 2021 ACM/IEEE Information Processing in Sensor Networks (IPSN’21), 2021

J. Nie, GM. Di Liberto, J. Yeaton, B. Khalighinejad, S. Shamma, and N. Mesgarani, “Neural Representation of Linguistic Feature Hierarchy Reflects Second-Language Proficiency,” Elsevier NeuroImage, vol. 227, pp. 117586, Feb. 2021

J. Nie, Y. Hu, Y. Wang, S. Xia, and X. Jiang, “SPIDERS: Low-Cost Wireless Glasses for Continuous In-Situ Bio-Signal Acquisition and Emotion Recognition,” in Proceedings of ACM/IEEE 5th InternationalConference on Internet of Things Design and Implementation (IoTDI’20), 2020

Y. Hu, J. Nie, Y. Wang, S. Xia, and X. Jiang, “Demo Abstract: Wireless Glasses for Non-contactFacial Expression Monitoring,” in Proceedings of ACM/IEEE 19th Conference on Information Processing inSensor Networks (IPSN’20), 2020 [Best Demo Award]