In 1991 he gained a First Class Honours Degree in Neurosciences. He trained in medicine at Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School, and in 1994 graduated in Medicine with Distinction in Pathology and in neurosciences at University College London. His basic surgical training was completed at Oxford University. His MD Thesis relates to pioneering studies delivering growth factor therapy directly into the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Nik’s neurosurgical training was completed at Frenchay hospital, University of Bristol, where he was appointed Consultant Neurosurgeon in 2005. He has since pursued a research and fellowship in functional neurosurgery, funded by the MRC (Medical Research Council).
Nik has since been recognised for functional neurosurgical excellence with an MRC fellowship, awards from both the American and the European Associations of Neurological Surgeons, and a Hunterian Professorship in Neurosurgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. In 2003, he received the Philip C. Gildenberg Resident Award for Stereotactic and Functional Surgery from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and also won the prestigious EANS (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies) Annual Prize for young researchers. In 2005, further in recognition of his research, he was awarded a Hunterian Professorship in Neurosurgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
