Peter John Nicholson

Peter John M. Nicholson (born May 3, 1942) is a Canadian economist, former politician, and science policy expert. He represented the electoral district of Victoria in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1978 to 1980, as a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.[1]

Nicholson was born at Halifax[2] in 1942, the son of former Nova Scotia MLA Peter M. Nicholson.[3] He attended Dalhousie University and Stanford University and holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. His biography on the website of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute reads as follows: "Peter Nicholson became the inaugural president of the Council of Canadian Academies in February, 2006 and retired from that position on January 1, 2010. (The Council supports expert panels that assess the science that is relevant to issues of public importance.) Educated in physics (BSc, MSc, Dalhousie) and operations research (PhD, Stanford), Dr. Nicholson has served in numerous posts in government, business, science, and higher education. His public service career included positions as head of policy in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada; as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature; as Clifford Clark Visiting Economist in Finance Canada; and as Special Advisor to the Secretary-general of the OECD in Paris. Dr. Nicholson's business career has included senior executive positions with Scotiabank in Toronto and BCE Inc. in Montreal. Dr. Nicholson began his career in the academic sector where he taught computer science at the University of Minnesota (1969-73). He was also an original member of the Canadian Prime Minister's National Advisory Board on Science and Technology, the founding Chair of the Board of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences and was the founding Chair of the Members of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Dr. Nicholson is a Member of the Order of Canada."[4]

In 1982, he married Penelope Jane Connolly.[5]