Gavin Williams

Gavin Williams is a Professor and Department Head in the Department of Chemistry at North Carolina State University, holding the LORD Corporation Distinguished Scholar title. His research focuses on integrating organic chemistry and biology to create novel organic molecules through enzyme engineering, biocatalysis, and synthetic biology, particularly in drug discovery. He leads the Williams Lab, which innovates platforms for natural product diversification and polyketide synthesis.

Education:

• B.Sc. Biochemistry, University of Wales (1998)
• Ph.D. Chemical Biology, University of Leeds (2002)

Research Interests:

Williams specializes in leveraging synthetic biology tools like transcription factor biosensors, genetically encoded reporters, and directed evolution to reprogram biosynthetic pathways. His work targets fluorinated polyketides, hemiterpene analogues, and non-natural extender units, with applications in antibiotic development and drug lead generation. Key innovations include the SIME cheminformatics system for macrolide library design and engineered polyketide synthases with expanded substrate specificity.

Awards:

• LORD Corporation Distinguished Scholar
• GLBT Advocate (2020-2021)

Grants & Labs: His lab actively pursues funding for projects in synthetic biology and combinatorial biosynthesis. Collaborative efforts include developing biosensors for real-time pathway monitoring and creating synthetic metabolic pathways decoupled from native systems.

Location: Dabney Hall 850, Raleigh, NC 27695