Nicholas A. Kotov (born August 29, 1965, in Moscow, USSR) is the Irving Langmuir Distinguished Professor of Chemical Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

He established that, similarly to many proteins and other biomolecules, nanoparticles can self-organize into chains,[10] sheets,[17] nanowires, twisted ribbons[18] and nanohelices,[19][20] and spherical supraparticles replicating viral capsids.

[21] Kotov's work established that the biomimetic self-assembly behavior of nanoparticles originates from interparticle interactions at the nanoscale,[22] in which chirality also plays a prominent role.

[24] Kotov received his MS (1987) and PhD (1990) degrees in chemistry from Moscow State University, where his research concerned liquid-liquid interfaces imitating cell membranes for solar energy conversion.

After graduation, he took up a postdoctoral position in the research group of Prof. Janos Fendler in the Department of Chemistry at Syracuse University in New York state working on nanoparticle synthesis and assembly at interfaces.