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Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
Brett Williams is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biology and Environmental Science. Brett joined QUT in 2010 and has been researching the molecular dissection of programmed cell death pathways in plants using next generation transcriptomics of a novel Australian resurrection grass. Prior to working at the CAB Brett received his BS and Ph. D., both at QUT, in the laboratory of Distinguished Professor James Dale, where he focused on the development of a novel virus-inducible protein expression system in plants. Following his PhD studies, Brett travelled to Texas A & M University in the US where he worked in the lab of Professor Martin Dickman, studying plant Programmed Cell Death (PCD) pathways in response to biotic and abiotic stimuli. Brett’s research has led to several key discoveries including the observation that members of the Arabidopsis Bcl-2 athanogene (BAG) family are dispersed in a variety of sub-cellular organelles. He also showed temporal induction of plant PCD pathways as a key pathogenicity factor of the potent necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Brett is the associate supervisor of seven PhD students. Over the years Brett has attracted significant research funding, he is/was also the co-PI on several projects funded from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (USA), QUT Bluebox and the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF).
Projects (Chief investigator)
- Advance Queensland Fellowship - Pulse legumes
- Bolstering QUT’s capacity in plant proteomics
- Plant adaptation and resilient crop production
Projects
Additional information
- 2022 - current - 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
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2022
- Details
- Associate Editor - Frontiers in Cell Death Model Systems
- Type
- Appointment to Prestigious Positions
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Representative
- Type
- Visiting Professorships/Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Chinese Academy of Sciences President's International Fellowship
- Type
- Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Advance QLD Senior Research Fellowship
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Chair of the Combio2016 Early Career Development Forum
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- American Society of Plant Biologists Travel Award
- Type
- Funding Award
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Australian Academy of Science "Science at the Shine Dome" Travel Award
- Type
- Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- QUT Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellowship
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Co-chair of the B3 Big Biology and Bioinformatics symposium
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Editorial Board for Molecular Plant Pathology 2014 - current
- 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/59194
- 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
- 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
- Investigation of Bcl-2 3' UTR mediated plant stress tolerance
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Sudipta Das Bhowmik
- 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)
- The Role of MicroRNAs in Stress Response in the Resurrection Plant Tripogon Loliiformis (2016)
- Development of Molecular Tools for the Improvement of Transgene Expression in Sugar Cane (2015)
- Structural, Physiological and Molecular Characterisation of the Australian Native Resurrection Grass Tripogon Loliiformis (F.Meull) C.E.Hubb during Dehydration and Rehydration (2015)
- Engineering Salinity Tolerance in Rice by Exogenous Expression of Cell Death Regulators (2014)