[7] Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,[8] Nelson earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Stanford University in 1980,[9] and her Ph.D. degree at Harvard University under the supervision of Howard Georgi in 1984.

[10] After a post doctoral fellowship at the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1984-1987, Nelson became an assistant professor at Stanford University in 1987.

In 2017, she led physics lectures in Palestine to support social justice and promote diversity in science fields around the world.

[20] On August 4, 2019, while hiking Iron Cap Mountain in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness with her husband and two friends, Nelson lost her footing and died after falling into a rocky gully.

Her husband and fellow hikers were rescued on August 4 by a Spokane helicopter crew.