Nikki is a mix of contradictions. Born into a well-off Home Counties family (her mother was South African, her father's a businessman) she received a top class education in England where she excelled, particularly in sciences. However her mother died when she was a teenager, and her relationship with her father Victor is strained, not least because of his unconventional business dealings. As soon as she could Nikki left the family home and found a university as far as she could from her father. Always curious and open-minded, Nikki revelled in her passion for history and anthropology and she began her academic career in those areas and studied in various universities in Europe. Her expertise with archaeological finds in particular bones led her into that field and she gained her qualifications as a pathologist along the way.Nikki wears her heart on her sleeve. She can be impetuous, and idealistic, and her open-ness and skill at being able to read people means they often find her easy to confide in. Since her arrival, shes grown into a skilled and confident pathologist a force to be reckoned with.