Dr. Larissa Williams, Asst. Professor of Biology has received tenure and will be promoted to Associate Professor as of the beginning of the ’18/’19 academic year. Williams’ research is focused on “how organisms change and adapt to environmental stimulus. To address this broad question, we utilize a mixture of molecular, cellular, and imaging techniques in multiple model systems: the freshwater zebrafish (Danio rerio), the smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), eelgrass (Zostera marina), and invasive crabs (Carcinus maenas and Hemigrapsus sanguineus).” You can learn more about Williams’ research program on her lab website. Williams was co-PI on an NSF-MRI grant that brought a state-of-the-art Leica SP8 laser scanning confocal microscope to Bates in 2014 which supports both student and faculty research across multiple disciplines. In addition to mentoring thesis, Larissa teaches BIO242, Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, and popular short term classes in the Galapagos Islands and at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory.

Larissa Williams received her BA in Biological Sciences with a minor in Marine Sciences from Smith College. During her time as an undergraduate, she spent several summers at the Duke Marine Lab where she learned about the fascinating science of marine toxicology. Loving the state of North Carolina and the field of toxicology, she went on to complete a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from North Carolina State University.  However, her Ph.D. adviser moved to the University of Miami (FL) in her second year, so Larissa spent 3 of her 5 years completing her doctoral research at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the marine biology campus of the University of Miami. Following her Ph.D., she moved to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod for her postdoctoral fellowship.  Two years into her time at WHOI, she accepted the position at Bates, where she has been on faculty since 2012.