Prof. Gaylord E. Nick Nichols

About

Faculty In Residence, IIT Kanpur
From Caltech, Under The
'KANPUR INDO-AMERICAN PROGRAM'

1967 - 1970

Nick Nichols, an administrator and honorary alumnus who worked at Caltech for 53 years, passed away on January 14, 2023.

Known for his leadership on campus and at JPL, Nichols brought an entrepreneurial spirit to his post as director of the Industrial Relations Center (IRC) and formed lasting bonds between the Caltech community and the technology business sector.
 

After graduating from Yale in 1954 with a degree in economics and attending UCLA for graduate studies, Nichols joined JPL in 1957. He worked on projects including the Ranger, Mariner, and Surveyor unmanned missions and served as manager of planning and business operations for energy and technology applications, manager of external affairs, and special assistant to the director. While at JPL, Nichols also served as a consultant to the UCLA School of Business Administration.

For three years starting in 1967, Nichols worked at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur as a visiting professor of business management, forming part of the cohort from Caltech that assisted the Indian government in establishing and administering the university.