Professor Craig Williams

Professor

School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences
Faculty of Science
c.williams3@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53530

Overview

Craig M. Williams was born in Adelaide, Australia. He received his B.Sc. (Hons) degree in chemistry in 1994 from Flinders University. In 1997, he was awarded his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the same institution under the supervision of Professor Rolf H. Prager. He undertook post-doctoral studies as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow working with Professor Armin de Meijere at the Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany, from 1997 to 1999. In early 1999, he accepted a second post-doctoral fellowship at the Australian National University with Professor Lewis N. Mander.

Professor Williams has held an academic position at the University of Queensland since 2000, and during this time has won a number of awards including a Thieme Chemistry Journals Award in 2007, an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship award in 2011, and the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research (SCMB, UQ, 2019). The Williams research group explores numerous interests within the discipline of organic chemistry (e.g. medicinal chemistry, fundamental molecules, natural productisolation, microelectronics, drug and agrichemical development, impact sensitive molecules) enabled by organic synthesis refined through the construction of biologically active complex natural products (diterpenes, polyketides, alkaloids), and designs synthetic methodology to assist in this endeavour (synthetic transformations and reagents). Professor Williams especially enjoys teaching whole molecule retrosynthesis to undergraduate and post-graduate students.

Research Impacts

He has published more than 170 scientific papers, patents, review articles and book chapters that have been cited over 2700 times. Since starting his independent career in mid 2000 CMW has attracted substantial research funding as a sole investigator through fundamental and applied research and associated industry engagement (UQ, ARC, NHMRC, DPIF, CSIRO, DAAD, BioTech). Professor Williams has supervised over 120 young researchers to date. H-Index=28.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Flinders University

Publications

  • Naher, Masnun, Su, Chuyi, Harmer, Jeffrey R., Williams, Craig M. and Bernhardt, Paul V. (2024). Macrocyclic Copper(II) Complexes as Catalysts for Electrochemically Mediated Atom Transfer. Inorganic Chemistry. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c00311

  • Su, Chuyi, Dallaston, Madeleine A., Watson, Renée D., Fahrenhorst-Jones, Tyler, Cameron, Jacob P., Pierens, Gregory K., Bernhardt, Paul V., Savage, G. Paul and Williams, Craig M. (2024). The (±)-5-Aza[1.0]triblattane Skeleton via Azetine Cycloaddition. Organic Letters. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c03655

  • Kong, Dehui, Fahrenhorst-Jones, Tyler, Kuo, Andy, Simmons, Jacinta L., Tan, Lendl, Burns, Jed M., Pierens, Gregory K., Li, Rui, West, Nicholas P., Boyle, Glen M., Smith, Maree T., Savage, G. Paul and Williams, Craig M. (2023). seco-1-Azacubane-2-carboxylic acid: derivative scope and comparative biological evaluation. The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 89 (1), 798-803. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c02333

View all Publications

Supervision

View all Supervision

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Williams, Craig M. (2014). Sleepless nights: The total synthesis of the anticancer australian rainforest polyketide EBC-23. Strategies and Tactics in Organic Synthesis. (pp. 249-270) edited by Michael Harmata. Maryland Heights, MO United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-417185-5.00011-9

  • Williams, Craig M. (2012). The story behind the total synthesis of Vibsanin E and 5-epi-Vibsanin E. Strategies and tactics in organic synthesis. (pp. 395-412) edited by M. Harmata. San Diego, CA, United States: Academic Press (Elsevier). doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-386540-3.00017-4

  • Pouwer, Rebecca H. and Williams, Craig M. (2010). Silver alkyls, alkenyls, aryls, and alkynyls in organic synthesis. Silver in organic chemistry. (pp. 1-41) edited by Michael Harmata. Hoboken, NJ, United States: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9780470597521.ch1

  • Prager, R.H. and Williams, C.M. (2005). Product Class 10: Acridin-9(10H)-ones and Related Systems. Science of Synthesis: Category 2, Hetarenes and Related Ring Systems. (pp. 1029-1064) edited by Black, D. StC.. New York: Thieme. doi: 10.1055/sos-SD-015-01714

  • Prager, R.H. and Williams, C.M. (2005). Product Class 9: Acridines. Science of Synthesis: Category 2, Hetarenes and Related Ring Systems. (pp. 987-1028) edited by Black, D. StC.. New York: Thieme. doi: 10.1055/sos-SD-015-01674

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

Completed Supervision