Dr Bryony Williams
Sequencing Experimental Officer/Senior Lecturer
B.A.P.Williams@exeter.ac.uk
6203
Geoffrey Pope 313 (and LSI T2 09)
Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter , Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
Overview
My research concerns the molecular evolution and comparative cell biology of eukaryotes, and particularly the adaptation of parasite cells to the intracellular environment. I am a member of the Microbes and Disease research group.
Qualifications
1999-2002 PhD The Natural History Museum London and University College London
1997-1998 MSc Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity, The Natural History Museum London and Imperial College London
1994-1997 BSc Biology, Southampton University
Career
2017-Present Senior Lecturer, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2007-2017 University Research Fellow, (Royal Society) School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2007 Human Frontier Science Foundation Short Term Fellow, Rutgers, Newark, USA
2002-2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia, Canada
Research group links
Research
Research interests
My current research concerns the biology of microsporidia. These are highly unusual fungi and obligate intracellular parasites of many different lineages of animals, including humans. Though eukaryotic, microsporidia have very small genomes and cryptic mitochondria that produce no ATP.
My past research has sought to understand the nature of reduction microsporidian genomes and mitochondria. I have studied the variability of genome architecture between different species of microsporidia and looked at the effects of genome compaction and reduction on the process of gene transcription.
As intracellular parasites, microsporidia have diverse effects on their host cells. Metabolite import and parasite development is facilitated by manipulation of the host cell cytoskeleton. For example, in many species, host mitochondria are drawn around the cell, most likely to aid the uptake of ATP directly from the host cell. I am currently trying to understand how microsporidia affect host cell function by identifying and characterizing proteins at the host-parasite interface and those secreted from the parasite cell.
Research grants
- 2019 Horizon 2020 Innovative Training Networks (ITN)
BR is a co-I on a large collaborative EU grant aiming at training the next generation of invertebrate pathologists. Total award €4.2 million - 2018 Royal Society
Impacts of environmental factors on the growth of shrimp and virulence of important pathogens - 2016 NERC CASE Studentship (open competition)
The Enterocytozoon Clade - Emergent Microsporidia in the Aquatic-Terrestrial Food Chain - 2012 The Royal Society
Eukaryotic minimalism and parasitic complexity in the Microsporidia - 2010 NERC
Emergent diversity of an ecologically important parasite group - 2010 NERC
Emergent diversity of an ecologically important parasite group - 2007 The Royal Society
Eukaryotic minimalism and parasitic complexity in the Microsporidia
Publications
Journal articles
Chapters
External Engagement and Impact
Invited lectures
Apri 2016, Invited speaker, Protist UK, Bournemouth
August 2015, Invited Speaker, OECD symposium, “Microsporidia in the Animal to Human Food Chain: An International Symposium to Address Chronic Epizootic Disease”, Vancouver, Canada
April 2013, Invited speaker, Devon Beekeepers Association AGM, Exeter.
August 2012, Invited symposium speaker. Society for Invertebrate Pathology meeting, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
July 2010, Invited symposium speaker. International Society for Protistology meeting, Canterbury, Kent.
October 2009, International Symposium on Bombyx mori functional Genomics and the Modern Silk Road, Chongqing, China.
September 2008, Invited speaker, Society for General Microbiology meeting, Dublin, Ireland.
Research funding
Horizon 2020 Innovative Training Networks (ITN), Insect Doctors, 2019-2023 (Co-I)
NERC iCASE Training Grant. The Enterocytozoon Clade - Emergent Microsporidia in the Aquatic-Terrestrial Food Chain. 2016-2020
NERC New investigator award, 2010-2012, Emergent diversity of an ecologically important parasite group
Cosyst Award BBSRC/Linnean Society, 2008, Molecular evolution of Rozella allomycis: A primordial parasitic fungal lineage?
Royal Society Unversity Reseach Fellowship, 2007-2017, Eukaryotic minimalism and parasitic complexity in the Microsporidia.
Supervision / Group
Postgraduate researchers
- Edouard Bessette
- Sam Edwards
Alumni
- Scott Campbell Ph.D.
- Zhengfeng Ding
- Jill Dunn Research Assistant
- Kristina Hamilton Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Roland Pevsner
- Jahcub Trew
- Dominic Wiredu-Boakye