Nick is the Principal of Linacre College, a graduate college of the University of Oxford and chairs the University's Buildings and Estates Committee and the college's Development Panel. Nick first came to Oxford 35 years ago to study for a Doctorate in plant ecology. He lectured in forestry and plant ecology for twenty years before becoming Principal of Linacre. 

Nick has research interests in ecosystem restoration and has worked around the globe with the United Nations Post Conflict and Disaster Management Team repairing damaged landscapes. He is Science Adviser to the European Outdoor Conservation Association. 

Nick was one of the founding trustees who helped to establish Oxford's Hill End Outdoor Education Centre as an independent charity after the local authority decided that it could no longer maintain it.