His expertise relates to immunisation, pandemic planning and response, and clinical trials of new vaccines. He is a past Chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), was a member and then Deputy Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Research Committee over nine years. He has more than 240 publications in refereed journals. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and a past member of SAGE, the World Health Organization’s main advisory group on vaccines and Immunisation. Prof. Nolan is a recipient of several Awards, including the prestigious Officer of Order of Australia.