1348177
Associate Professor
Brett Williams
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
Associate Professor Brett Williams is a research leader in plant resilience and crop biotechnology at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he serves as a Research Group Leader in the School of Biology and Environmental Science and Course Coordinator of the Bachelor of Science (Advanced). His research focuses on understanding how plants survive environmental stress and translating these discoveries into improved crop productivity and climate resilience.Williams leads internationally recognised research investigating the molecular mechanisms that regulate plant stress responses, programmed cell death, autophagy, senescence, and energy metabolism. His work has generated major advances in understanding how naturally resilient species tolerate drought, dehydration, and extreme environmental conditions, providing new opportunities to improve the performance of important agricultural crops.
His research has delivered several landmark discoveries, including the use of transient stress to improve crop performance, defining the role of BAG proteins in plant stress responses and programmed cell death, uncovering mechanisms that enable resurrection plants to survive extreme desiccation, and demonstrating that genetically engineered chickpea lines can achieve enhanced drought tolerance, increased yield, and improved seed quality under field conditions.
Professor Williams has secured more than $33 million in competitive research funding, leads large multidisciplinary research teams and industry collaborations, and has delivered keynote and invited presentations at major national and international conferences. He is a key member of the Australian Lunar Experiments Promoting Horticulture Biology team that is sending seeds to the moon.
Through his leadership of cutting-edge research programs, Williams continues to advance the development of climate-resilient crops and sustainable agricultural systems, positioning Australia at the forefront of plant stress biology and agricultural biotechnology.
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Keywords
Transcriptomics, Programmed Cell Death, Apoptosis, Autophagy, Resurrection Plant, Metabolomics, Desiccation tolerance, Plant Nutrition, Tropical Pulses
Research field
Agriculture, land and farm management, Agricultural biotechnology, Manufacturing engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
- Australian Society of Plant Scientists (ASPS)
- American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)
- Australian Mungbean Association
Teaching
Teaching discipline:
Plant Biotechnology
Plant Physiology
Genomics, Genetics, Cell & Molecular Biosciences
Teaching areas:
- Plant Biology (BVB306) - Unit Coordinator and Principal Lecturer
- Principals in Biotechnology (BVB317) - Unit Coordinator and Principal Lecturer
- Microbiology and the Environment (BVB305) - Lecturer
Experience
- 2025 - Current - Associate Professor of Plant Science
- 2022 - 2025 - Senior Lecturer of Plant Science
- 2018 - 2021 - Senior Advance QLD Research Fellowship
- 2015 - 2017 - Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow, QUT
- 2010 - 2015 - Research Fellow, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities
- 2007 - 2009 - Post-doctoral Research Associate, Texas A & M University
Publications
Research outputs by year
- Costa, M., Artur, M., Maia, J., Jonkheer, E., Derks, M., Nijveen, H., Williams, B., Mundree, S., Jimenez-Gomez, J., Hesselink, T., Schijlen, E., Ligterink, W., Oliver, M., Farrant, J. & Hilhorst, H. (2017). A footprint of desiccation tolerance in the genome of Xerophyta viscosa. Nature Plants, 3, 1–10. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/103764
- Li, Y., Williams, B. & Dickman, M. (2017). Arabidopsis B-cell lymphoma2 (Bcl-2)-associated athanogene 7 (BAG7)-mediated heat tolerance requires translocation, sumoylation and binding to WRKY29. New Phytologist, 122(4), 752–766. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/102918
- Dickman, M., Williams, B., Li, Y., Figueiredo, P. & Wolpert, T. (2017). Reassessing apoptosis in plants. Nature Plants, 3, 773–779. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/112588
- Kabbage, M., Kessens, R., Bartholomay, L. & Williams, B. (2017). The life and death of a plant cell. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 68, 1–30. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/103763
- Williams, B., Njaci, I., Moghaddam, L., Long, H., Dickman, M., Zhang, X. & Mundree, S. (2015). Trehalose accumulation triggers autophagy during plant desiccation. PLoS Genetics, 11(12), 1–17. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/93941
- Hoang, T., Moghaddam, L., Williams, B., Khanna, H., Dale, J. & Mundree, S. (2015). Development of salinity tolerance in rice by constitutive-overexpression of genes involved in the regulation of programmed cell death. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6, 1–14. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/93943
- Hoang, T., Williams, B., Khanna, H., Dale, J. & Mundree, S. (2014). Physiological basis of salt stress tolerance in rice expressing the antiapoptotic gene SfIAP. Functional Plant Biology, 41(11), 1168–1177. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/71009
- Kabbage, M., Williams, B. & Dickman, M. (2013). Cell death control: The interplay of apoptosis and autophagy in the pathogenicity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. PLoS Pathogens, 9(4), 1–12. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/219208
- Williams, B., Kabbage, M., Kim, K. & Dickman, M. (2011). Tipping the balance: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum secreted oxalic acid suppresses host defenses by manipulating the host redox environment. PLoS Pathogens, 7(6), 1–10. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/59197
- Williams, B., Kabbage, M., Britt, R. & Dickman, M. (2010). AtBAG7, an Arabidopsis Bcl-2associated athanogene, resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and is involved in the unfolded protein response. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(13), 6088–6093. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/47853
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Brett, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/b.williams
Awards
- Type
- Editorial Role
- Reference year
- 2022
- Details
- Frontiers in Cell Death Model Systems. Associate Editor - Frontiers in Cell Death Model Systems
- Type
- Membership of Committee or Reference Group
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Australian Society for Plant Scientists (ASPS). Genetics and Molecular Biology Representative
- Type
- Visiting an External Institution
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Chinese Academy of Sciences President's International Fellowship
- Type
- Funded Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Queensland Government. Advance QLD Senior Research Fellowship
- Type
- Chair/Convenor of Conference Workshop
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Chair of the Combio2016 Early Career Development Forum
- Type
- Funding Award/Project
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- ASPB. American Society of Plant Biologists Travel Award
- Type
- Funding Award/Project
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Australian Academy of Science. Australian Academy of Science "Science at the Shine Dome" Travel Award
- Type
- Funded Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- QUT Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellowship
- Type
- Chair/Convenor of Conference Workshop
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Queensland University of Technology| Co-chair of the B3 Big Biology and Bioinformatics symposium
- Type
- Editorial Role
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Editorial Board for Molecular Plant Pathology, 2014 - current
Selected research projects
- Title
- Development of drought tolerant rice and mustard using a two-pronged approach and novel genes identified from resurrection
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- AISRF08240
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
- Drought Tolerance; Resurrection; Rice
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Development of Molecular Tools to Improve and Accelerate Macadamia Breeding
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Professor Peter Prentis, Professor Helen Wallace - Engineering plant stress tolerance by mimicry of stress-associated proteins of resilient species
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Julia Bally, Dr Satomi Hayashi - Filamentous Fungi and their Secondary Metabolites: How To Mitigate Pasture Dieback and Build Resilience in Grasslands
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor Caroline Hauxwell - Genetic investigations of the defence responses of mango cultivars to safeguard the Australian mango industry
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Dr Anthony James, Professor Peter Prentis, Dr Upendra Shekhawat - Genomic Insights into Mango Flowering: Unravelling Genetic Mechanisms and Enhancing Cultivation Practices
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Dr Upendra Shekhawat - Investigating Genes Associated with Fruit Fly Resistance in Citrus
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Peter Prentis, Adjunct Associate Professor David Hurwood, Dr Julia Bally - Investigating molecular mechanisms of juvenility and flowering to accelerate breeding of commercial citrus species
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Dr Sudipta Das Bhowmik - Managing pasture diversity to improve ecosystem services against the pasture mealybug H. summervillei and 'pasture dieback'
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor Caroline Hauxwell, Associate Professor Roberto Barrero Gumiel - Mechanisms of cold stress mortality in Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae)
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Peter Prentis - Modulation of Autophagy Pathways in Crops: Impacts on Symbiosis, Stress Tolerance and Flowering Efficiency
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Satomi Hayashi, Dr Sudipta Das Bhowmik
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Investigation of Bcl-2 3' UTR-driven Plant Stress Tolerance Through MicroRNA and RNA Interference (2026)
- Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of AtBAG4-mediated stress tolerance (2022)
- Improvement of Helicoverpa Armigera Resistance in Pigeonpea (Cajanus Cajan) Through 'Omics and Breeding (2021)
- Increasing Anthocyanin Accumulation in Plant Stress (2021)
- Molecular Characterisation and Identification of Pseudomonas Savastanoi PV. Phaseolicola, Infecting Mungbeans in Australia (2020)
- Regulation of Plant Programmed Cell Death by Energy Metabolism in the Australian Resurrection Grass Tripogon Loliiformis (2020)
- Molecular and Functional Characterisation of an Osmotin Gene from the Resurrection Plant Tripogon Loliiformis (2018)
- The Characterisation of CaNAS2 and Biofortification of Chickpea (2018)
- Characterisation of Root Architectural Responses of Mungbean to Water Deficit (2017)
- The Impact of Water Deficit on the Growth and Yield Performance of Sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.): Analysis Through Mathematical Modelling (2017)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.