Robin Williams

Robin Williams is a Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the Department of Biological Sciences and Head of the Centre for Biomedical Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London. His research focuses on molecular cell biology, neuroscience, and pharmacology, using the social amoeba Dictyostelium as a model system to study epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder, and drug development. He has pioneered 3Rs initiatives (Replace, Reduce, Refine) to reduce animal testing in research.

Education: PhD in Molecular Cell Biology (University of Melbourne, 1994), postdoctoral training at St Andrews University and UCL. Joined Royal Holloway in 2006.

Research Interests: Epilepsy treatments, Alzheimer’s disease mechanisms, bipolar disorder pharmacology, natural product therapeutics, bitter taste mechanisms, and translational drug discovery. His work emphasizes developing safer treatments and advancing non-animal research models.

Key Collaborations: Prof Matthew Walker (epilepsy research), Prof Alan Kimmel (protein conservation studies), GlaxoSmithKline (bitter taste research). Industry partnerships include Vitaflo Ltd (ketogenic therapies).

Recent Articles: Focus on medium-chain fatty acids’ roles in energy metabolism, cannabinoid mechanisms, and Dictyostelium-based drug discovery. Highlights include identifying the molecular basis of the ketogenic diet and novel treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Awards & Esteem: Member of Global Executive Board for the International Neurological Ketogenic Society, advisor to epilepsy charities, and organizer of international conferences. Recognized for contributions to 3Rs and translational research.

Grants & Funding: Multiple BBSRC and MRC grants for epilepsy and metabolic research. Leads projects on safer epilepsy drugs and cannabinoid mechanisms.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Centre for Biomedical Sciences, collaborating across disciplines to bridge basic science and clinical applications.