Professor Nicols graduated from UC Berkeley, and did his PhD at UCLA. He has held regular appointments at the Universität Freiburg (Germany), at Stanford University, and at the University of Oregon. He has been a visiting professor at the Universities of Munich, Heidelberg, Cologne and Münster. He has also received  a number of grants from the DAAD, the Fulbright Commission, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation,

Professor Nicols has devoted much of his scholarly career to understanding how asymmetrical social relations serve to unify society and is especially interested in the practice of patronage and clientele in the Roman Empire. Current and forthcoming publications include, "The Practice of Hospitium on the Roman Frontier", "Civic Patronage and Civic Planning in the Roman Empire", "The Crisis of the 3rd Century", and "Civic Ritual and Civic Patronage".

Concurrently, he and his colleague James C. Mohr, serve as the editors of the Mapping History Project, a set of interactive historical maps the publication of which has been facilitated by Pearson Education and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Professor Nicols is a member of the department of Classics. He also serves as the director of the Humanities Program and of the CAS Society of College Scholars.