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Profile of Dr. Susan Williams

University of California – Davis
Bodega Marine Laboratory
PO Box 247
Bodega Bay, CA 94923-0247
Phone: 707-875-2211
slwilliams@ucdavis.edu

Current Position: Director, Bodega Marine Laboratory, and Professor of Ecology & Evolution, University of California, Davis

Education: Ph.D. Botany/Marine Biology, University of Maryland, 1981

Dr. Williams’s research in marine biodiversity spans genetic diversity, invasive species biology, ecosystem functions (primary production, nutrient cycling) and restoration of degraded or destroyed marine habitat, particularly seagrass and seaweed communities.  Her ecological genetics work paved the way for a change in mitigation policy for eelgrass in southern California.  Dr. Williams has published scholarly reviews on the ecological effects of marine invasive seaweeds and on invasive species in seagrass beds.  She also published articles on opportunities for scientists and managers to work together more effectively on invasive species issues.  She collaborated with resource managers to eradicate the noxious weed Caulerpa taxifolia, the “Killer Alga” that threatened marine life in California.  She also received a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to consult on and study coastal marine restoration and invasive species in Japan.  She has served on scientific review and planning panels for the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Sea Grant Program, the National Science Foundation, and the National Research Council.

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