Field
Location (during time of takeover)
School/Institution
| Undergrad | University of the Philippines Diliman Behavioral Sciences |
|---|---|
| Masters | Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Université de Strasbourg Neurosciences (developmental neurobiology and neurotechnology) |
| PhD | Sorbonne University Neuroscience |
Featured on July 20, 2025
Let’s delve into the mind of Pinoy Scientist Nicole Ortiz, a PhD student of Neuroscience at Sorbonne Université, France specializing in cell and molecular biology, and developmental neurobiology.
Nicole graduated Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences. After working for a few years, she started her Joint Masters in Neurosciences with a specific focus on developmental neurobiology and neurotechnology. During her Master’s studies, she conducted her internship at the Institut de Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives and Laboratoire de Conception et Application de Molécules Bioactives in France, and a research project at the Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Germany. She spent her final semester at Sorbonne Université doing her Master thesis investigating the effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor signaling on locomotor responses in zebrafish larvae. She graduated with degrees from Université de Strasbourg, France and Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany in 2022, ranking 1st in the program.
After completing her Master’s degree, Nicole remained at Sorbonne Université as a doctoral student of Neuroscience, continuing her work on developmental neurobiology. While there, she also completed a Specialization for Biological Data Analysis Postgraduate Diploma at Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem in Hungary. In her spare time, Nicole works as a graduate mentor for GradMAP Philippines and founded two outreach events – “Cerveau Stressé” (2024) and “Cerveau en Fête” (2025) – for Brain Awareness Week in France.
Some fun facts about Nicole:
- Her childhood dream was to become an archaeologist—but if science didn’t work out, she wants to step into the ring as a boxer!
- When she moved to France 5 years ago, all she knew was “Bonjour” and “Merci beaucoup”. Today, she (tries!) to speak multiple languages, including French, a bit of German, and she’s mastering Italian hand gestures and accents !
- She’s convinced she could happily survive on nothing but baguette and cheese—and honestly, we believe her.
