Nick Silva
He/Him
I am gay and I am a neuroscientist. //
I’m currently finishing my PhD in neuroscience at the University of Michigan. A Latino born and raised in the SFV, Los Angeles, I came out in high school after my mother found my journal, but didn’t find myself until I moved to San Francisco for my BS and MS in Biology (Physiology) at SFSU. I moved to the Midwest for my PhD and thought it was a huge mistake initially. I was unhappy in my lab, so I decided to switch PhD mentors at the end of my third year and thought I would never graduate. My new mentor, family, partner, and friends supported me during this time. Now, I’ll be heading back home to Cali for a postdoc position at UCSF studying microglia contributions during CNS development in the zebrafish. My journey in STEM has not been easy, but it has allowed me to find myself, be proud of my background, and share passion for diversity efforts in academia.