Dr Tom Williams
PhD(Dub.), BA(Dub.)
Expertise
I'm a computational evolutionary biologist. My work uses computational methods (mostly phylogenetics and bioinformatics) to study how molecules, genomes and microbes evolve, and to learn about the evolutionary history of life.
Current positions
Associate Professor in Molecular Evolution
School of Biological Sciences
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
I study the early evolution of life using bioinformatics, phylogenetics and comparative genomics. The key questions relate to the nature of early life, the phylogeny of prokaryotes, the processes of microbial/genome evolution, the evolution of metabolism and the origin of eukaryotic cells.
Current group members include:
- Dr. Sandra Alvarez-Carretero (with Phil Donoghue and Davide Pisani): microbial phylogeny.
- Dr. Alex Bowles (with Chris Williamson and Phil Donoghue): algal genome evolution and phylogeny.
- Dr. James Clark (with Alistair Hetherington, Bristol): plant phylogeny.
- Dr. Christopher Kay (with Phil Donoghue): eukaryote origins.
- Dr. Edmund Moody: early evolution and the tree of life.
- Dr. Anna Nenarokova (with Phil Donoghue and Davide Pisani): eukaryote origins.
- Dr. Sam Williams: evolution of polyketide biosynthesis.
- Amy Russell: evolution of CPR Bacteria.
- Ollie Jarvis: eukaryote origins.
Get in touch if you are interested in joining, particularly if you want to work on "deep time" phylogenetics of prokaryotes or microbial eukaryotes.
You can find more information at Google Scholar, on Twitter (@tweethinking), or on Github (Tancata).
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
PDRA funding on RS Enhancement Award
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
01/04/2021 to 31/03/2023
PDRA funding on RS Enhancement Award
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
17/10/2020 to 31/10/2023
URF Renewal: Assembling Complex Life
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
17/10/2020 to 16/10/2023
Modelling lateral gene transfer on a new bacterial tree
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
05/03/2018 to 04/03/2020
Evolution-guided tuning of enzyme temperature optima
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Biological SciencesDates
22/01/2018 to 31/01/2019
Publications
Recent publications
05/02/2024AleRax
Bioinformatics
Cryogenian origins of multicellularity in Archaeplastida
Genome Biology and Evolution
Metagenome-assembled genome of the glacier alga Ancylonema yields insights into the evolution of streptophyte life on ice and land
New Phytologist
Phylogenetic reconciliation
ISME Journal
The nature of the last universal common ancestor and its impact on the early Earth system
Nature Ecology and Evolution
