Paul Claude Silva (October 31, 1922 – June 12, 2014) was a phycologist, marine biologist, and algal taxonomist considered to be the world's leading expert in the chlorophyte green algal genus Codium.
[1] Silva completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California, though his education was interrupted by World War II.
He served in the US Navy on the USS Darby, participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
He attended Stanford University for his master's degree studying under Gilbert Morgan Smith, and University of California, Berkeley for his Ph.D. Silva later worked as a Research Botanist and Curator of Algae at the UCB herbarium.
[2] While at UC Berkeley, Silva met his life partner Lawrence Ray Heckard.