CLAIRE G. WILLIAMS is Visiting Professor, Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment & Earth Sciences. Prior to that she was Professor of Genetics and Forestry (2001- 2004) and Associate Professor, Genetics, Forestry & Crop Science (1995-2000), both at Texas A&M University, and Research Project Leader for Southern Forest Genetics Research (1988-93) at Weyerhaeuser Company. She earned her Ph.D. in 1986 from North Carolina State University. She has been honored as a Fulbright Senior Scholar to the University of British Columbia (2002), a Guggenheim Fellow (2002) and a Bullard Fellow to Harvard University (2000).

Dr. Williams has firsthand research expertise in conservation, ecology, biotechnology, breeding, genomics and genetics. Her work experience includes forest industry, academia and government advisory roles. She has managed basic and applied research, developed strategic plans, trained working professionals, implemented technology in field settings and conducted policy analysis in an interdisciplinary team setting.

Dr. Williams publishes extensively and has served as an associate editor for three professional journals.

Selected Publications:

1. Al-Rababah M.A. and Claire G. Williams. 2004. An ancient bottleneck in the Lost Pines of central Texas. Molecular Ecology 13:1075-1084.

2. Williams Claire G., L.D. Auckland, M.M. Reynolds and K.A. Leach. 2003. Overdominant lethals as part of the conifer embryo lethal system. Heredity 91(6): 584-592.

3. Reyes-Valdés, M.H. and Claire G. Williams. 2002. A haplotypic approach to founder-origin probabilities and outbred QTL analysis. Genetical Research 80: 231-236.

4. Williams, Claire G., Joyner K.L., L.D. Auckland, H.J. Price and J.S. Johnston. 2002. Genomic consequences of interspecific Pinus spp. hybridization. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 75:503-508.

5. Auckland, L.D., T. Bui, Y. Zhou, M. Shepherd and Claire G. Williams. 2002. Conifer Microsatellite Handbook. Corporate Press, Raleigh NC. 57 p.

6. Williams, Claire G., Y. Zhou and S.E. Hall. 2001. A chromosomal region promoting outcrossing in a conifer. Genetics 159: 1283-1289.

7. Elsik, C. G. and Claire G. Williams. 2000. Retroelements contribute to the excess low-copy DNA in pine. Molecular and General Genetics 264(1-2): 47-55.