Nicole Reinhardt studied History and Romance Languages at the universities of Heidelberg, Coimbra, and Freiburg i.Br. She holds a PhD in History and Civilization from the European University Institute in Florence. Before taking up the post at Durham University in 2009 she taught early modern history at the universities of Rostock and Lyon 2 and worked as a DAAD-Lecturer at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris.