Nic’s research focuses on the application of genetic epidemiology to the dissection of potentially causal relationships between modifiable risk factors and complex health outcomes. He is the PI for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and an affiliate programme lead at the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit where work focuses on understanding body mass index (BMI) as a risk factor.
 
Currently, his work uses a mixture of study designs and resources (genetic epidemiology, metabolomics, proteomics, trials, challenge studies, human microbiome) to examine potentially causal pathways. Recent work has also examined the contribution of genetic variation to microbiome profiles, how rare genetic variation relates to differential life course adiposity, how genetic contributions to response to feeding underpin observed variation and how these types of basic science findings can allow for a cross-examination of complex disease risk (e.g. renal cell carcinoma).
 
Nic is involved in the strategic deployment of population based resources in a coordinated manner to address population health. The potential of population based resources was demonstrated in the case of COVID_19. Through collaboration with the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, Wellcome Longitudinal Population Studies COVID-19 Questionnaire Research Group and National Core Studies (Longitudinal Health and Wealth) Nic helped provide a population based contribution to the understanding of pandemic impact.

Most recently, he has taken on the role of Director for Population Research UK (PRUK). PRUK is a new national resource designed to maximise the use of UK longitudinal population studies across social, economic and biomedical science. PRUK is funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure Fund.