Biography
Spencer Williams obtained his BSc and PhD (under the supervision of Professor Bob Stick) at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Following receipt of his PhD in 1998, he was an Izaac Walton Killam Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Stephen G Withers at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where he worked on glycosidase inhibitors. In 2000 he moved to the USA where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation in the laboratory of Professor Carolyn Bertozzi, based at the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the School of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne in 2002. His current interests include the application of chemical synthesis, and in particular carbohydrate chemistry, to biological problems, and the development of new therapeutic agents for treatment of cardiovascular disease, pain and fibrosis in the treatment of diabetes. He is a co-author of a textbook, Carbohydrates: The essential molecules of life (by RV Stick and SJ Williams, 2009, Elsevier).
Curriculum vitae: BSc (Hons) W.Aust. (1995); PhD W.Aust. (conferred 2001); Izaac Walton Killam Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia (SG Withers, 1998-2000); Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation, University of California at Berkeley (CR Bertozzi, 2001-2002); Lecturer, University of Melbourne (2002); Selby Research Award (2002); RACI Divisional Organic Lectureship (2005); Senior Lecturer, University of Melbourne (2006); Dean�s Award for Excellence in Research (2007); Rennie Memorial Medal (2008).
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest |
Key Words |
Country of Expertise |
| medicinal chemistry treatments for cardiovascular disease and diabetes |
medicinal chemistry; organic chemistry |
Australia |
| Carbohydrate chemistry of pathogenic microorganisms including mycobacteria and leishmania |
carbohydrate chemistry; chemical biology |
Australia |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other
Awards
Qualifications
| Title |
Institution |
Date Awarded |
Abbreviation |
| Bachelor of Science (honours) |
The University of Western Australia |
31-Dec-1995 |
|
| Doctor of Philosophy |
The University of Western Australia |
10-Feb-2001 |
|
Memberships
| Membership Type |
Membership Body |
Description |
Start Date |
End Date |
| Member |
International Carbohydrate Organization |
Australian Representative |
01-Jul-2008 |
|
| Member |
Royal Australian Chemical Institute |
Member |
01-Jul-1994 |
|
| Member |
Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
Member |
01-Jul-2004 |
|
Fellowships
| Fellowship |
Date Awarded |
| Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI) |
01-Sep-2009 |
Other Awards
| Award Type |
Awarding Body |
Comments |
Date Awarded |
| Medal |
Royal Australian Chemical Institute |
Rennie Memorial Medal (2008) |
01-Oct-2008 |
| Other (Award) |
University of Melbourne, Faculty of Science |
Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (2007) |
01-Oct-2007 |
| Other (Award) |
University of Melbourne, Faculty of Science |
Selby Research Award (2002) |
01-Oct-2002 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Scheme |
Award Date |
| Understanding and exploiting bacterial sulfatases |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Discovery Projects |
01/01/2004 |
| Chemical tools for the study of mycobacterial glycolipid biosynthesis |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Discovery Projects |
01/01/2004 |
| Synthesis of carbohydrate antigens and production of monoclonal antibodies for biotechnological applications |
Chief Investigator |
BIOSUPPLIES AUST PTY LTD,
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Projects (AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL) |
01/01/2005 |
| Polysaccharide biosynthesis as a new drug target in Leishmania parasites |
Chief Investigator |
NHMRC |
Project Grants |
01/01/2006 |
| Mannose metabolism in pathogenic microorganisms |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Discovery Projects |
01/01/2007 |
| X-ray Molecular Structure Elucidation Facility (MSEF) |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Infrastructure (Equipment and Facilities) |
01/01/2007 |
| Understanding the cardioprotective effects of flavonols |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Discovery Projects |
01/01/2008 |
| NEW FLAVONOLS TO TREAT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE |
Chief Investigator |
RMIT |
Development Grants (NHMRC) |
01/01/2008 |
| Novel metabolic enzyme in Leishmania parasites |
Chief Investigator |
NHMRC |
Project Grants |
01/01/2009 |
| Enhanced Capacity in Ultra-Trace Level Detection and Speciation of Compounds of Environmental, Biological and Materials Science Interest |
Chief Investigator |
AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Infrastructure (Equipment and Facilities) |
01/01/2009 |
| DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ANTI-FIBROTIC DRUGS FOR PREVENTION OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY |
Chief Investigator |
NHMRC |
Development Grants |
01/01/2009 |
Contracts
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Award Date |
| Contract Synthesis of ionisable flavonols |
Chief Investigator |
NEUPROTECT PTY LTD |
21/02/2005 |
| SYNTHESIS OF WATER SOLUBLE FLAVONOLS |
Chief Investigator |
NEUPROTECT PTY LTD |
01/11/2006 |
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.
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