Why Philosophy? | Alumni Perspectives

Dr. Michael W. Nestor is the Board Director for the Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Prior to joining the Academies, he worked at Johnson & Johnson – Innovation, JLABS, was Director of Neural Stem Cell Research at The Hussman Institute for Autism, where he pioneered research on autism by developing brain organoids from human

stem cells. His lab was at the forefront of creating innovative multiplexed CRISPR and drug-screening platforms, which contributed to the founding of Synapstem and Autica Bio, where he currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer.

In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Nestor has served as a venture advisor to the UM Momentum Fund, was an Early Career Policy Ambassador for The Society for Neuroscience, and was an AAAS Science and Policy Fellow at the Department of Energy. He is also the author of "Anticipatory Ethics and The Use of CRISPR in Humans" (Springer/Nature).

Dr. Nestor graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMBC with double major in Philosophy (with Honors) and Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health, Rutgers University (as an NIH IRACDA Fellow) and the New York Stem Cell Foundation, where he also served as a Staff Scientist.