Dr. Nick Castro was born and raised in Southern California's San Fernando Valley just north of Los
Angeles. He attended the LA Community Colleges before transferring to Cal State University Northridge.
It was at CSUN where Dr. Castro developed his love for research mathematics and mentorship. After
receiving his BA in Mathematics from CSUN, he attended the University of Georgia where he studied lowdimensional
topology under the advisement of David Gay. He received his PhD in Mathematics in 2016
after which he was a Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis, and a Visiting Assistant Professor at
the University of Arkansas. Dr. Castro is currently an instructor at Rice University.

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Understanding how objects interact with each other (e.g., surfaces, knots, 4-manifolds, people) and how
their relationship can change depending on the context (e.g., topological category, smooth category,
english speaking, spanish speaking, multi-lingual) is fundamental to how Dr. Castro perceives the world.
He believes that one’s own experiences help shape who they are and can create unique perspectives
which can change and improve our understanding of the world.

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Dr. Castro is a low-dimensional topologist with a focus on smooth 4-manifolds. He is a leading expert in
trisections of smooth 4-manifolds, with an emphasis on 4-manifolds with boundary. His work on relative
trisections has been foundational to the theory of trisections and has given insight into the relationship
between the topology of 3- and 4-manifolds.

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Dr. Castro considers both teaching and mentorship as great privileges which often overlap. He is always
interested in getting to know his students and what their goal and aspirations are. He believes that
everyone’s goals are unique and valid and can help inform teachers and mentors the best way to help
their students succeed.

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In addition to teaching standard undergraduate and graduate level mathematics, Dr. Castro has taught
mathematics to students of many different backgrounds and experiences through various different
programs. He has lead research mathematics programs for high school students through an online
summer camp (Camp Euclid, COSMOS); he has taught math workshops for people experiencing
homelessness who were re-entering college and the work-force; and he has lead several Directed
Reading Programs in low-dimensional topology at Rice University where undergraduate students can
learn about research mathematics that they would not normally be exposed to in their standard
coursework. Dr. Castro has received a letter of acknowledgment from the United States Secretary of
Education Miguel Cardona for his contributions of teaching and mentorship.

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“Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder of everything I have achieved, everything I can achieve, and of
the sacrifices my family has made for me to get where I am today. It is a reminder to continue striving to
become the best version of myself and to continue celebrating and supporting other Latines on their own
journeys, especially within the realm of mathematics and higher education. Hispanic Heritage Month can
also feel like a relegation of the contributions of the Latine population in the US to a single month. So it
also empowers me to represent and take pride in Latine cultures, as well as the beautiful and essential
contributions that we give the world, EVERY month.”

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