Malcolm F. Nicol (1939-2009) was a distinguished scientist in the field of high pressure chemistry and physics, who enjoyed a successful academic career in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA (1965-1999) and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Chemistry at UNLV (1998-2009). At UNLV, he was the founding director of the High Pressure Science and Engineering Center (HiPSEC).
Nicol's research focused on the effects of high pressure on molecular solids and fluids, particularly on the spectroscopic properties and photochemistry of a variety of materials, from simple molecules to polymers, explosive materials, and oxidic structures. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, he was the first to develop Raman spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell. He also had an ongoing interest in geologic and chemical processes on other planets. Nicol traveled widely to conduct research collaboratively in laboratories around the world. His wide-ranging scientific interests and selected publications are described in more detail on his webpage at UNLV and also in an obituary published in the journal High Pressure Research.
He received an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (1973-1977) and was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and also of the American Physical Society. UNLV has established a graduate scholarship in his honor, the Malcolm F. Nicol Graduate Scholars program in High Pressure Science.