▁work ▁at ▁B irk beck ▁College ▁in ▁London ▁as ▁a ▁Ful br ight - H ays ▁Fellow . ▁ ▁Career ▁ ▁Nik las ▁was ▁cur ator ▁for ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Botan ical ▁Garden . ▁He ▁joined ▁the ▁fac ulty ▁at ▁Corn ell ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 8 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁he ▁was ▁named ▁full ▁professor ▁and ▁appointed ▁as ▁a ▁Liber ty ▁Hy de ▁Ba iley ▁Professor ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 . ▁He ▁is ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁over ▁ 4 0 0 ▁peer - review ed ▁scientific ▁papers ▁and ▁five ▁major ▁books , ▁all ▁published ▁by ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Chicago ▁Press . ▁Nik las ▁has ▁received ▁numerous ▁awards , ▁including ▁awards ▁for ▁teaching ▁( e . g ., ▁he ▁received ▁the ▁S UN Y ▁Chan cell or ' s ▁Award ▁for ▁teaching ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 5 ). ▁He ▁is ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁Botan ical ▁Society ▁of ▁America ▁and ▁served ▁as ▁its ▁President ▁( 2 0 0 8 ▁– ▁ 2 0 0 9 ) ▁and ▁Editor - in - Ch ief ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Journal ▁of ▁Bot any ▁( 1 9 9 5 ▁– ▁ 2 0 0 4 ). ▁Nik las ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁botan ist ▁to ▁tab ulate ▁the ▁temporal ▁distributions ▁of ▁plant ▁species ▁in ▁the ▁foss il ▁record ▁to ▁quant ify ▁land ▁plant ▁divers ification ▁patterns ▁throughout ▁the ▁Ph an ero zo ic , ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁among ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁use ▁factor ▁analysis ▁to ▁identify ▁major ▁flor istic ▁changes ▁and