Richard Nichols received his undergraduate degree in biology and mathematics from Brown University, and his Ph.D. in Physiology from Harvard Medical School. Following postdoctoral training at the University of Alberta and Johns Hopkins University and a first faculty position at the University of Washington, he was appointed to the faculty of Physiology at Emory University, where he remained for 24 years, attaining the rank of Professor and Interim Chair. In 2007, he took the position of Chair of the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech and was appointed Professor in the newly formed School of Biological Sciences in 2016. He received an honorary membership in the American Physical Therapy Association in 2017. He served as President of the Association of Chairs of Departments of Physiology in 2016 he was appointed Fellow of the American Physiological Society in 2022. He is currently Professor emeritus in the School of Biological Sciences. In 2025 he was awarded the Bernstein Prize from the International Society of Motor Control. His research has been focused on the role of proprioceptive pathways and muscle mechanics in motor coordination, with applications to spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries. Nichols also serves as the science advisor to the Association for Body Mapping Education (Teaching the Art of Movement in Music).