Dr Brett Williams
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
Brett Williams is a research group leader and senior lecturer in the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences and course coordinator of the Bachelor of Science Advanced in the Faculty of Science at the Queensland University of Technology. He earned his BS and PhD at QUT, focusing on developing a novel virus-inducible protein expression system in plants. After completing his PhD, Brett travelled to Texas A & M University in the USA, where he studied plant Programmed Cell Death (PCD) pathways in response to biotic and abiotic stimuli. In 2010, Brett returned to QUT to study stress tolerance responses in the Australian resurrection plant, Tripogon loliiformis. He subsequently received QUT Vice Chancellor’s and Advance QLD Research Fellowships to explore cell death pathways in Tripogon loliiformis and conduct Australia’s first GM chickpea trial, respectively. Currently, Brett and his lab are investigating the role of energy metabolism in regulating cell death and senescence pathways in resilient species with the aim to translate this fundamental knowledge to improve important crop species such as Chickpea.
Brett’s research has led to several fundamental discoveries, including;
– The identification of Arabidopsis Bcl-2 athanogene (BAG) family members in various sub-cellular organelles.
– The observation that the Arabidopsis BAG family plays a central role in regulating programmed cell death pathways.
– The tight regulation of autophagy pathways by naturally resilient plant species to tolerate stress
– The suppression of stress-related senescence pathways in naturally resilient species to tolerate extreme climates
– The observation that transgenic chickpea lines engineered to constitutively express AtBAG4 are more drought tolerant and produce higher yields with higher seed protein content under drought stress in the field.
– Suppression of host defence pathways by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum secreted oxalic acid
– Temporal induction of plant PCD pathways as a key pathogenicity factor of the potent necrotrophic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer - Plant Science
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 (BVB203) - Unit Coordinator and Principal Lecturer
- Principals in Biotechnology (BVB317) - Unit Coordinator and Principal Lecturer
- Grand Challenges in Science - Food Security (SEB104) - Lecturer
- Microbiology and the Environment (BVB305) - Lecturer
Experience
- 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
Publications
- 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
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Brett, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- 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
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
- Investigation of Bcl-2 3' UTR mediated plant stress tolerance
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Jiyuan An, Dr Sudipta Das Bhowmik - Engineering plant stress tolerance by mimicry of stress-associated proteins of resilient species
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Peter Prentis, Dr Julia Bally - PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Satomi Hayashi - Role of legumes in improvement of soil fungal microbiota and resilience to pest pressure
MPhil, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Caroline Hauxwell - Pasture dieback: Understanding mechanisms of susceptibility and resistance to the pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei)
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Caroline Hauxwell - Investigating Genes Associated with Fruit Fly Resistance in Citrus
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Peter Prentis, Associate Professor David Hurwood, Dr Julia Bally - Genetic investigations of the defence responses of mango cultivars to safeguard the Australian mango industry
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Professor Peter Prentis, Dr Upendra Shekhawat, Dr Anthony James - Physiology and Genetics of Cold Stress in the Queensland Fruit Fly and Jarvis' Fruit Fly
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Peter Prentis - Secondary Metabolites from Fungal Endophytes that Suppress Pest Insects and Fungi to Mitigate Pasture Dieback and Build Resilience in Grasslands
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Caroline Hauxwell - Investigating molecular mechanisms of juvenility and flowering to accelerate breeding of commercial citrus species
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Professor Peter Prentis
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- 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)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.