Dr Elizabeth Williams

About me:

Development, ecology and evolution of marine invertebrate animals.

My primary research interest is understanding the developmental phenomenon of metamorphosis in marine animals. Many marine animals, including sponges, corals, jellyfish, shellfish, crustaceans, worms, sea urchins, starfish and sea squirts, have a life cycle which includes a free-swimming larval stage that must find the ideal location to settle down on the sea floor and undergo metamorphosis to an adult form. I use molecular biology approaches to study the sensory and neuroendocrine systems of marine invertebrate larvae to understand how they interact with their surrounding environment to navigate through the ocean and regulate the timing of their metamorphic transition. These larvae are crucial to the survival, connectivity and evolution of marine populations.

My background lies in marine biology and molecular biology. Following a BSc in Marine Biology at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, I carried out a BSc Hons research project investigating natural variation in gene expression during sea squirt larval development. During my PhD I studied the interplay of genes and environment in the metamorphosis of tropical abalone, an emerging aquaculture species. I then joined the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher working on neuropeptide signaling in the life cycle of marine worms, sea anemones, jellyfish and placozoans. Following a move to the University of Exeter's new Living Systems Institute with my postdoctoral research lab in 2018, I was awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship in late 2019. Commencing May 2020, this fellowship allows me to build my independent research group in the Exeter Biosciences.

Join us: We are keen to hear from prospective colleagues around the world who share our interest in marine invertebrate systems and sensory signalling. If you are interested in our research and want know more or would like to join an enthusiastic and supportive team as a postgraduate student or Postdoc please get in touch.

PhD studentship currently available, commencing September 2024, application deadline April 14th 2024

For further details and informal discussion please contact Elizabeth Williams by email.

Interests:

Metamorphosis is an excellent example of the important role that environment can play during animal development, since for many larvae, this process is initiated by specific environmental cues. While the regulation of insect, frog and fish metamorphosis is relatively well understood, metamorphosis occurs in at least 15 other animal groups. To fully understand how the environment regulates development, we need to investigate the external cues and internal neuroendocrine signalling that guide metamorphosis beyond insects and vertebrates, and in different environments. Research in my lab focuses on understanding the metamorphic process in the larvae of marine invertebrates. We primarily use the marine polychaete worm Platynereis as a lab model. Our research has three main areas of investigation:

• identification and characterization of species-specific environmental cues for marine invertebrate larval settlement and metamorphosis
• developing understanding of the morphology and physiology of the sensory systems larvae use to detect environmental cues for metamorphosis
• revealing the molecular signaling pathways within larvae that trigger the metamorphic transition, with particular focus on neuropeptides and neurohormones.

Improving our understanding of marine invertebrate metamorphosis, from environmental cues to internal neuroendocrine signaling, allows us to address important questions including:

• What are the similarities and differences in the metamorphic process of different animal groups - how does metamorphosis evolve?
• How will changes to the marine environment impact the critical process of larval metamorphosis?
• Can we exploit knowledge of the environmental cues and molecular signals regulating metamorphosis to improve marine invertebrate aquaculture productivity?

Qualifications:

2010 PhD Molecular Marine Biology, University of Queensland

2004 BSc Hons I Zoology, University of Queensland

2003 BSc Marine Biology, University of Queensland

Career:

2022 - Senior Lecturer (E&R) (Proleptic)

2021 - Senior Research Fellow, University of Exeter

2020 - BBSRC David Phillips Fellow, University of Exeter

2018 - 2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter

2010 - 2017 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany.