Nicki joined the University of York in April 2017 to support Dr. Kevin Farnsworth’s Corporate Welfare Watch project. From 2014‒16 she was a funded Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society in Graz, Austria where she worked on a multifaceted research project focused on the popularity and hidden costs of Apple products. Prior to that, she worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of sociology at Pomona College, located in Claremont, California, USA.

She holds a BA in sociology from Pomona College and an MA and PhD in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has published extensively in a variety of outlets on consumer culture, fair trade and ethical sourcing systems, and labour and environmental issues within global electronics supply chains.