Former Head of New York Academy of Sciences, Rodney Nichols, Dies

A vice president of Rockefeller University for more than 20 years, Nichols also advised the White House, the NIH, and other groups.

Written byJef Akst

| 2 min read

Save for Later

Image credit:INGBERT GRÜTTNER/ROCKEFELLER ARCHIVE CENTER

Listen with Speechify

0:00

2:00

Rodney Nichols, a former executive at Rockefeller University and the New York Academy of Sciences, died last week (August 30) at a hospice in New York City due to complications of lymphoma, The Washington Post reports. He was 80.

“Rod was a true renaissance man, knowledgeable on an extraordinarily broad range of subjects—from science and technology to education, history, international affairs, and the arts,” reads a New York Times obituary from Rockefeller. “We will miss Rod’s fierce intelligence as well as his wit, humor, and compassion.”

Nichols earned an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard University. In his younger years, he did research and development for a defense contractor and then with the Department of Defense itself.

Nichols joined Rockefeller University as a vice president in 1970. Among his initiatives, he helped send the university’s scholars to China and coauthored a study on the importance of science and technology in ...

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
View Full Profile