Evan R. Williams

Evan R. Williams

Contact

erw@berkeley.edu
(510) 643-7161
B42 Hildebrand Hall
Research Group

Lab: DG-21 Giauque Hall

Title: 
Professor of Chemistry
Department: 
Chemistry
Bio/CV: 
  • Born 1962
  • B.S., University of Virginia (1984)
  • Ph.D., Cornell University (1990)
  • National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, (1989-1991)
  • National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award (1992)
  • Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Young Investigator (1992)
  • Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh Award (1992)
  • Exxon Education Foundation Research Award (1993)
  • American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award (1994)
  • Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award (1999)
  • Amgen Faculty Award (2004)
  • Visiting Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark (2005)
  • Faculty Scientist, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Faculty Director, QB3/Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Center, UC Berkeley
  • Associate Director, Center for Analytical Biotechnology, UC Berkeley
  • Member: ACS, ASMS
Research: 

Professor Williams' research group is developing and applying novel instrumental and computational techniques in mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, separations, and laser spectroscopy to solve problems of fundamental interest in chemistry and biochemistry. Current projects are focused in three areas; 1) elucidating the structures, functions, and dynamics of biomolecules and their macromolecular complexes with emphasis on protein sequencing, conformational elucidation, and protein-protein interactions, 2) understanding ion solvation, how water organizes around different ions and how water affects molecular structure and intermolecular interactions. Competitive interactions between ions, water, and biomolecules of interest are investigated by probing ions in size-selected trapped nanodrops using spectroscopy and ion-electron recombination experiments and 3) developing new instrumentation to analyze complex mixtures, including contents of cells, using microfabricated devices coupled with mass spectrometry and developing probes for rapid chemical analysis of surfaces with high sensitivity. A number of different types of state-of-the-art mass spectrometers and lasers are used in these studies.

Professor of Chemistry

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Research Interests

Role: 
Chemistry Faculty