Nelson grew up in San Francisco and has said that his parents were hippies.[5] He started his career working in construction. He decided that he wanted to attend college, but wasn't sure what he wanted to specialize in.[5] He took some biology courses at a community college, and secured a job working at San Francisco State University.[citation needed] Nelson became fascinated by scientific research, and particularly interested in the design and synthesis of molecules. After four years, Nelson started study at University of California, Berkeley, where he completed a chemistry degree in two years.[5][6] Nelson then got a job at Panasonic energy solutions, in Silicon Valley, working on solar power and batteries.[citation needed] He was contacted by a Professor from University of California, Berkeley, who helped him identify funding for graduate school. Nelson was a doctoral researcher at California Institute of Technology, where he worked with Brian Stoltz. He focused on total synthesis in the plant Thapsia garganica.[1]
S P Fisher; A W Tomich; S O Lovera; J F Kleinsasser; Juchen Guo; M J Asay; H M Nelson; Vincent Lavallo (February 1, 2019). "Nonclassical Applications of closo-Carborane Anions: From Main Group Chemistry and Catalysis to Energy Storage". Chemical Reviews. 119 (14): 8262–8290. doi:10.1021/ACS.CHEMREV.8B00551. ISSN0009-2665. PMID30707011. WikidataQ91302662.