About
Alun Williams serves as Professor of Veterinary Diagnostic Pathology and Director of Studies in Clinical Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, School of Biological Sciences, Department of Veterinary Medicine. He concurrently acts as External Examiner for two UK universities and member of the External Expert Panel for a Malaysian veterinary school.
His academic credentials include:
- BVMS, University of Glasgow (1985)
- PhD, University of Cambridge (1989)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education, University of Cambridge (2016)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Examinations and Assessments, University of Cambridge (2019)
- Advanced Postgraduate Certificate in Examinations and Assessments, University of Cambridge (2020)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, University of Cambridge (2022)
Williams leads pioneering research on neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, demonstrating that synaptic damage in prion diseases (e.g., Creutzfeldt-Jakob), Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's occurs at peptide concentrations 1/1000th of those causing cell death. His group identified lipid raft-dependent phospholipase-cyclooxygenase-prostaglandin signaling pathways as central to toxicity, with distinct mechanisms for α-synuclein in Parkinson's. Current projects investigate blast injury pathology with Imperial College London and Streptococcus suis type 2 meningitis pathogenesis.
Key recognitions include:
- MRC University Research Fellowship (1989-1990)
- AFRC Veterinary Schools’ Fellowship (1985-1988)
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2009)
- Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (2023)
As former Director of Teaching/Associate Dean for Education (2012-2023), he developed veterinary education research frameworks. His neurodegeneration work receives EU funding, while collaborations with Imperial College (Parkinson's UK grant) and physics departments (Royal British Legion funding) explore synaptic degeneration markers and shock wave injury.
Williams directs a multidisciplinary research group spanning neuropathology, lipid biochemistry, and veterinary diagnostics, providing pathology support across Cambridge research initiatives while advancing translational models for neurodegenerative diseases.
