Catching Up: 20 years out: Nicholas Weilinger ’05

by Christina W. ’26

If you had asked a graduating Nicholas Weilinger ‘05 what he pictured himself doing twenty years into the future, he wouldn’t have said co-founding a nanotherapeutics company. Yet, that is exactly where he finds himself today.

Nick graduated from Rundle College in 2005 and continued his studies at McGill University, where he would achieve a Bachelor of Science in Biology. It was an unexpected pathway as Nick explained that he had never taken a biology course before and had always found himself more interested in physics and chemistry. However, biology, specifically neurosciences, sparked an interest in Nick; an interest he would decide to chase after.

Upon finishing his degree, Nick moved back to Calgary, reflecting on what career path he wanted to pursue. Initially, he believed that he would steer in the direction of optometry, but after some work experience in the field, he decided against it. During reflection of his time at university, Nick began to develop an interest for courses he took during his undergrad, which included neuroscience and pharmacology. With these new fascinations on his hands, Nick enrolled himself into a Masters of Science program at the University of Calgary, later transferring to a PhD, and focusing on neuronal death in stroke.

Following this, an opportunity came about while Nick was working on his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia, providing him with the ability to start up a neuroscience company alongside fellow colleagues. Yet again, this was another unexpected turn of events for Nick as he found himself navigating through a business career he had never imagined for himself.

This is where Nicholas Weilinger finds himself today, twenty years out from graduation, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of CereCura Nanotherapeutics and searching for neurological disease treatments. Upon reflection, Nick views his time taking his undergraduate degree as an opportunity that was provided to him. It served as a time where he was able to explore himself, his interests, and all his possible futures. Nicholas remarks that a large part of it was going with the flow; adapting to all the new opportunities and changes he faced with an open mind and perseverance, similar to completing a science experiment.

In a time where the future seems more unpredictable than ever, it is important to keep in mind all the possibilities that can arise from unexpected changes. All the possibilities we can discover for ourselves 20 years out.