Dr. Nichols is also an internationally recognized clinician-scientist with long-standing track record of research development, oversight, and scientific discovery. He has over 180 publications and an h-index of 50.
He maintains an ocular surface research group with full scale capabilities for conducting clinical and basic research receiving funding from the National Eye Institute (NEI).
His research unit employs state-of-the art facilities and equipment for the study of dry eye, meibomian gland disease, and pharmaceutical and medical device development and testing.
He has served on numerous medical/advisory boards and boards of directors. His awards include three Ezell Fellowships, the Korb award, the Borish and Max Schapero Awards, the Fry Medal and Westheimer lecturer, and he is a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice. Lastly, he is editor-in-chief of Contact Lens Spectrum, the world's leading journal on contact lenses.