Immunologist Dequina Nicholas shares why mentorship is crucial for first-generation scientists.
Immunologist Dequina Nicholas was among 575 early-career scientists networking with 40 Nobel laureates at the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany in June. The Lindau meeting is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for early-career researchers.
Nicholas pursued graduate research in immunology, inspired in part by her mother’s struggle with type 2 diabetes. After earning a PhD from Loma Linda University in California, she did postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), researching the effect of inflammation and metabolism on reproduction.
She credits her postdoctoral research programme, the US National Institutes of Health’s institutional research and academic career development award (IRACDA), with teaching her about great mentorship.
Nicholas, now at the University of California, Irvine, studies how lipid immunology contributes to type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome, with the goal of developing immunotherapies. Nicholas sat down with Nature at the Lindau conference to discuss tackling racism in science head on and how, sometimes, burning a bridge can be an act of self-preservation.
What motivated you to become a scientist?
My parents are immigrants. My mum’s from Jamaica, my dad’s from Dominica. Their goal for me was to follow the American dream and become a doctor or lawyer. But I was always in love with science — science fairs, the scientific process and asking and answering questions.
During my chemistry honours project at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, I was dehydrating alcohols with acids. I thought it was the most boring thing ever, but I enjoyed the autonomy of independent lab work. Back then, I had no idea what I would do with my degree afterwards.