A 2007 University of California, Davis undergraduate made his way back to the college town to pursue his Ph.D. after traveling the world for a year.

His work in the Food Sciences Department is related to microbial diversity found on plants as well as microbial food safety. Williams, who worked as a waiter for eight years, said he has always considered himself a foodie, a person who is aware of the food they intake and have an appreciation that comes with eating and making food.

“In our study, we examined the phyllosphere microbiota on Romaine lettuce grown in a single field in the Salinas Valley, Calif. May-July (early season) and August-October (late season) during two consecutive years,” reads his abstract. “This work demonstrates the significant variability and also the potential predictability of the microbial populations in the lettuce phyllosphere which can be used to assess the risk of human pathogen contamination of crops.”

Throughout his graduate education at UC Davis, Williams has completed Teaching Assistantships in Microbial Diversity laboratories for the Microbiology Department. He has also received multiple department scholarships and has been a part of a United States Department of Agriculture AFRI NIFA grant under the supervision of advisor Dr. Maria Marco and in collaboration with Dr. Linda Harris, Cooperative Extension Specialist in Microbial Food Safety. Williams has also collaborated with the Microbiology Department and with the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Outside of conducting research, the foodie and former waiter enjoys reading fiction, playing baseball, snowboarding, and spending time with friends and family. Williams also said he has a desire to learn how to make fermented food. Hopefully, he will be able to take a class with Dr. Charlie Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences, before graduating with his doctorate in 2013.

Williams, who has “a nerdy passion for environmental issues,” is still figuring out what he plans to do with his future but no matter what, he wants to put the skills he has learned since his career first began at the University of California, Davis at the forefront of 21st century research.