Dr. Nichol is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Director of the Rice Office of STEM Engagement (R-STEM) in the Office of Research at Rice University. Dr. Nichol’s research focuses on improving science and engineering teaching and increasing the representation of women and minorities in the STEM fields.
She directs programs focused on providing long-term, inquiry based professional development for K-12 teachers and runs summer academies, internships, and mentoring programs to engage Houston students in STEM fields. Since 2002, she has developed professional development programs in nano-science and chemistry using face-to-face and videoconferencing environments. She has taught and developed courses in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University which include Advances in BioNanotechnology, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Numerical Methods, Systems Physiology, and Biomaterials Engineering.