Dr. Nicolela was born in Brazil and did his Medical School, Residency, and PhD in Ophthalmology at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
He then completed a 2-years fellowship in glaucoma at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Drance. In 1998, Dr. Nicolela joined the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, becoming a full professor in 2012. In 2014, Dr. Nicolela became the Head of the Department and Chief of the Ophthalmology Service of the Nova Scotia Health, a position he still holds.
He has authored or co-authored 14 book chapters and over 130 peer-reviewed articles, published in the most prestigious Ophthalmologic Journals. His main areas of research include imaging, perimetry, clinical/surgical outcomes in glaucoma and ocular blood flow. Dr. Nicolela has delivered several national and international lectures.
In 2021, Dr. Nicolela derived the inaugural Canadian Glaucoma Society Stephen Drance lecture, in honor of his mentor and friend. Dr. Nicolela is the past president of the Canadian Glaucoma Society and of the Pan-American Glaucoma Society.