She is the leader of the Sludge Rheology group and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers since 2010 with an h-index of 20 and a total of 1500 citations. Nicky investigates the flow behaviour of solid residue (sludge) of wastewater treatment plants with the aim of optimising energy efficiency of process units in the sludge treatment lines. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the 2015 Engineers Australia’s Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year in recognition of her engineering competence, leadership skills, creativity, innovation and conspicuous service to industry, the profession and society. She also received the 2017 Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) for outstanding contribution to students learning.