Dr Craig Williams
Lecturer in Biosciences and Head – Mosquito Research, Sansom Insitute
Dr Craig Williams trained as a zoologist and began a research career studying amphibians and reptiles after graduating from the University of Adelaide with a BSc Hons in Zoology in 1994. He then worked as a Research Officer during which time he developed a network of international collaborators, fostering an interest in animal behaviour, ecology, analytical chemistry and evolutionary biology.
A developing interest in human health led Dr Williams into medical entomology, the focus of his PhD research. Dr Williams has applied his zoological skills to disease vectors with a focus on mosquitoes. Through the formation of strategic partnerships with several local governments, Craig has increased the knowledge of South Australian mosquitoes, their behaviour, control, and role in disease transmission. This has taken the form of ongoing contract research for several local governments in SA, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in knowledge of local mosquitoes and how they transmit disease.
After completing his PhD and obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Education, Dr Williams moved to James Cook University to train with the nation’s foremost medical entomologists on an NHMRC-funded program. His Post-doctoral work on the vectors of dengue viruses led to an invitation to Europe (University of Regensburg), a training place at a World Health Organisation workshop in Thailand, and a suite of landmark publications in the leading journals in his field.
The main thrust of this work was the development of novel surveillance and control techniques for the mosquito vectors of dengue viruses. The research findings are being adapted into dengue control strategies in southeast Asia and Brazil. It is hoped that this research will improve vector control and public health in developing countries.
Upon returning to South Australia in 2006, Dr Williams developed a new partnership with the SA Department of Health (DoH) developing Ross River virus epidemic forecasting tools, in the form of a new software package, ‘RR Forecaster’. This work is being conducted with the aid of a grant from the DoH. He continues to work on research programs to combat dengue vector mosquitoes, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2005 Dr Williams was awarded the IgNobel prize in Biology, at Harvard University, for an article in Applied Herpetology concerning the odours that frogs emit. He was the 2007 South Australian Young Tall Poppy of the Year, an award from the Australian Institute of Policy Science. Dr Williams is a strong advocate for science communication and engaging the community, through regular media commitments and presentations to schools.
Dr Williams is a member of the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee (NAMAC) for the Federal Dept. of Health and Ageing and serves on the Technical Advisory Group for the southern saltmarsh mosquito eradication project (Govt. of New Zealand). Dr Williams is also a grant proposal reviewer for CRVOI (Research Centre on Emerging Diseases in the Indian Ocean), Government of France. This body grants research monies for projects addressing vector-borne disease in the Indian Ocean.