Maxim Nicholls
Papers
1
Total Citations
37
H-Index
1
About
Maxim Nicholls is a leading scholar in the sociology of surgical work, with a core focus on the micro-materialities of medical practice and interdisciplinary collaboration. His most-cited work, “Exchanging implements: the micro‐materialities of multidisciplinary work in the operating theatre” (2017, 37 citations), offers a groundbreaking ethnographic analysis of how everyday tools—scalpels, swabs, and sutures—mediate complex team dynamics in high-stakes surgical environments. Nicholls reveals that the seemingly mundane act of passing an instrument is a critical, skill-laden practice that shapes professional hierarchies, communication, and patient safety. By foregrounding the material culture of the operating theatre, he challenges conventional understandings of surgical expertise, showing that competence is distributed across people and things. His research has been influential in science and technology studies (STS), medical sociology, and healthcare training, prompting hospitals to reconsider how teamwork is supported through spatial and material design. Nicholls’s work stands out for its vivid, granular detail and its practical implications for improving multidisciplinary collaboration in medicine.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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