Nickie Nikolaou

Nickie is an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. She has been with the Faculty since July 2007, and Associate Dean (Academic) since July 2016. In 2020, she was awarded the Howard Tidswell Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.

 Prior to joining the Faculty, Nickie was a Research Associate at the Canadian Institute of Resources Law, legal counsel with the Alberta Court of Appeal, and a practising lawyer in Calgary. Her Master of Laws thesis was awarded the Governor General’s Gold Medal in 2000, and considered the liability regimes for well abandonment, reclamation, releases of substances, and contaminated sites in Alberta.

 Nickie's research interests are in the areas of energy, natural resources, and environmental law. She is the current editor of the Canada Energy Law Service - Federal (Thomson/Carswell). Her publications and research include work on topics such as: public participation in energy, natural resources and environmental decision making; theories of environmental liability, including the polluter pays principle; liability regimes for the clean-up of environmental damage; the role of human rights law in natural resources development; the constitutional jurisdiction of administrative tribunals; the role of municipalities in natural resources and renewable energy development; the legal and regulatory framework for oil and gas, including oil sands, development in Alberta; and the role and mandate of the Canadian Energy Regulator.