Professor Gill Nicholls is a graduate of the University of London and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Surrey. She is responsible for innovation in teaching and learning, quality enhancement, quality assurance, the student experience and academic development across the University.

Her research areas are policy research in higher education particularly in the areas of professional development and teaching and learning environments. She has published extensively in journals, and has published nine books including the Challenge to Scholarship.

She has been involved in many research and evaluation projects. The latest involving inter-professional education within medicine and the health related professions. She is currently a visiting Professor at Syracuse University and Wisconsin University in the USA.