Professor Bryan Williams

Director, Monash Institute of Medical Research

Professor Bryan Williams was appointed as the Director of the Monash Institute of Medical Research from January 1 2006 and also heads up the Centre for Cancer Research at MIMR.

Prior to this appointment, Professor Williams was the Chairman of the Department of Cancer Biology at the Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, a position he had held since 1991. He was also an Associate Director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Cleveland.

Professor Williams has a distinguished history in cancer research. His work focuses on the molecular biology of tumour suppression and the role tumour suppressor genes may play in regulating cell growth, maturation and apoptosis. He is internationally recognised for his contributions to research on Wilms tumour - a cancer of the kidney that primarily affects children, and for his studies on protein kinase R, an important cellular signalling molecule. He has also gained prominence in the field of RNA interference.

Professor Williams is an independent Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marshall Edwards Inc, a NASDAQ listed company involved in the clinical development of cancer therapeutics. He is the Australian Director for Pacific Edge Biotechnology Limited and co-founder and Scientific Advisory Board member of Alios Biopharma, San Francisco. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of BioGrid Australia Ltd and a Board Member of Cancer Trials Australia. Professor Williams is a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards for Amarillo Biosciences Inc, Australian Stem Cell Centre and Benitec Limited and is Chair of the Judging Panel for the Victorian Premier's Award for Health and Medical Research and member of the Federal NHMRC Australia Fellowship Review Panel.