Nikki has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Southeast Missouri State University. She worked as a health physicist for the state of Tennessee for three years before leaving that field for research. Nikki has 17 years of experience in the research industry. She began her research career at a biopharmaceutical research company as a lab technician before moving up to lab manager. Nikki was a project manager for that same company before she came to Vanderbilt. She has been in research at Vanderbilt for 11 years as a research coordinator. She recently moved into the role of manger within the Vanderbilt Coordinating Center.